


You're A Natural

by ASkyOfKai



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But only like right at the end - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Post-Descendants 2, Rated M for amount of cuss words and very mild sexual content, The sexual content is mostly Ben being a hormonal teenager, They get stuck on the Isle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 44,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26505217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASkyOfKai/pseuds/ASkyOfKai
Summary: What if after King Ben's rescue, the kids were trapped on the Isle? What if instead of returning to Auradon and saving the day at Cotillion, they spend weeks trying to survive in a place they never thought they'd return to? Things are bound to change from here on out...
Relationships: Ben/Doug/Evie/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Evie/Mal (Disney), Jane/Carlos de Vil, Jay/Harry, Li Lonnie/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 136





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! And welcome!  
> This is my first finished multi-chap fanfic! I'm really excited to be finally posting this after a month and a half of writing and revising and writing and revising and, well, you get the point. Shout out to my beta Ash, who put up with all my 3AM complaints about writing and plot, you're awesome dude. I love exploring the Descendants world, thinking about the cultural differences between the Isle and Auradon because it all has so much potential, so some of that will definitely be making an appearance in here. It's not everything I'd like to write about, but that's what sequels are for, amirite? Anyways, I hope you all like the story!
> 
> I will be uploading chapters on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule.
> 
> TW // None for this chapter

adrenaline rush

/əˈdren(ə)lən/

_noun_

a physical feeling of intense excitement and stimulation caused by the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands.

"when having an adrenaline rush, one may become less cautious with their surroundings"

\---

Swords clashed, the sound of metal clanging together echoing en masse around the docks. They had saved Ben, gotten him away from the clutches of the pirates, but their trickery with the fake wand had launched the gathered teenagers into war. 

"Go! Everyone go!" Mal shouted to her gang. Jay dropped the hook, Evie disarmed her opponent, and everyone raced towards the tunnel that would lead them back their getaway car. 

Uma and her crew wouldn't be too far behind. They had to get off the Isle right now.

The tunnel was lit every couple feet with oil lamps tacked up on the wall. Spray paint decorated the spaces in between, their footsteps and panting amplified by the metal walls, every sound bouncing and zig-zagging out through each end. 

It was almost dark when they emerged, the clouds and buildings blocking out the sun as always. Even in the dim light though, they could all see that their plans had gone very, very wrong.

"Fuck!" Mal shouted, kicking the front bender of the now useless car.

"What happened?" Ben asked, staring at it in shock. The previously whole limo was now in pieces, entire sheets of metal missing from its frame and pieces of the engine scattered all over the place.

"Someone striped it for parts," Jay spat out, his face twisted with rage. "There goes our way out of here."

"We're trapped here again." Carlos said, his eyes going wide. "Shit. Shit!"

"Okay, everyone remain calm," Evie said, holding shaking hands up. "We can come up with a plan once we're in a safe place. Right now, we need to get out of here."

"She's right," Jay said, bending over and shifting through the scraps. He held up the broken mess of plastic that the button to open the barrier was and grimaced. "Uma is going to be here soon. This is her territory, we need to leave."

"Where can we go?" Lonnie asked. Her face showed little emotion, but her voice was tight and Evie reached out to catch her hand, stroking the trembling back.

"We'll go to the loft." Mal said, straightening her back. The anger was still apparent in her voice, but her crew needed a leader right now and keeping things orderly was her first priority as the head of her gang. "We'll take the rooftops to Jay's Street. The pirates prefer to stay on the ground. Plus it's only 10 minutes away by rooftop and we need to move fast."

"How are we supposed to get up to the rooftops from here?" Ben asked. "We're practically underground right now."

"This way," Carlos said, walking over to the only building with windows and climbing up on the windowsill. "They'll work as ledges. Once we get high enough, we can take the next building's balcony railings up to the roof."

"Will they hold us?" Lonnie asked, skeptically eyeing the 6 inch ledge Carlos was balancing on.

"Hopefully, yes." Jay followed Carlos, scaling up the wall above their heads. "Take off your shoes, Evie can put them in her bag. It'll give you better grip."

Slowly, the 6 teens (with Dude slung over Carlos's shoulders) made their way up the building. Ben refused to look down, telling himself that it was just like the rock climbing wall back home. Lonnie was grateful a thousand times over for her mother letting her climb up to the roof when she wanted as a child, because at least the action was familiar even if she was far higher than ever before. The four Isle kids fell back into an easy rhythm almost immediately, the feeling of stone beneath their fingertips triggering an almost instinctual ability to quickly scale the building walls.

They climbed higher and higher, and made their way across the rooftops in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts. Last night, everything had seemed so bright. They were going to get Ben back and go to Cotillion and everything would work out the way they wanted it to. So much could change in just a few hours.

"We're here," Mal announced, swinging over the side of a building and dropping down to a platform.

The loft was their headquarters. While the four of them were a pretty powerful group on their own, they needed numbers to take and keep territory around the Isle, and the loft rooftop was the official meeting place for organizing raids and patrols. Inside was their safe place. Their home away from home. Villains didn't care about their children unless they needed them, so they spent most of their days and nights in the loft.

"It's a nice place," Lonnie said as they entered through the window. Dude immediately took off to sniff everything. "I like it."

"Thanks," Jay said, brushing past her and immediately going towards the nearest doorway. "I'll take food duty tonight."

"Thank God," Carlos muttered. "Good luck!"

"Screw you." Jay flipped Carlos off over his shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Food duty?" Ben asked.

"Check what's edible, get rid of what's not, and ration out mealtimes. We take turns doing it." Mal frowned as she closed the window. "We're going to need more food than usual with you two here."

"We need to make a plan," Lonnie said, carefully sitting down on the edge of the couch to avoid a rather suspicious looking bloodstain.

"Survive," Carlos said, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up. "It took us 17 years to get off the first time and that was only because Auradon let us."

"My parents will start looking for us soon," Ben said. "I left a note in case things went wrong. They'll get us off soon."

"What if they don't?" Carlos mumbled darkly, slumping on the couch next to Lonnie. Evie kneeled down in front of him.

"Carlos," she said softly, "We will get off the Isle again. We're going to be okay."

Carlos stared down at the floor silently for a minute before nodding.

"Good." Evie stood up and smiled. "Now, the bedsheets haven't been changed in 6 months. Should we put out Jay's comforter?"

"No!" Jay's head appeared in the doorway. "Evie, I swear, if you get that thing out in front of Auradon kids, I will pick your gravestone flowers myself."

"Let's do it," Carlos said, standing up with a grin. "Dude! Where are you? You're gonna love this!"

The two teens left the room. Mal took a deep breath and faced Lonnie and Ben.

"Word is going to get out that you two are here. Neither of you are to go _anywhere_ without one of us with you. Stay in someone's sight at all times. I don't know how long we're going to be here, but be prepared to have to adjust to Isle life. Out there beyond these walls, there's no whining, no crying, no grand Auradonian emotional gestures. You grit your teeth, you keep your head down, don't speak unless spoken to, and if you see something you shouldn't, it's either leverage or you didn't see it. Got it?"

Ben and Lonnie both frantically nodded. Mal's eyes had started to glow green on the last bit.

"You mess up, you're dead or as good as. There's no room for mistakes on the Isle." Mal relaxed a little, having gotten the most important parts out. "Go help Jay in the kitchen. I need to work out a plan."

"Yes ma'am," Lonnie said, nodding her head respectfully and leaving.

"Mal-"

"Don't, Ben." Mal held up a hand. "This is the worst possible outcome, and right now I need to figure out how the hell I'm going to keep us safe for the foreseeable future. I know you want to help, but right now I just need to think by myself. Please. I need to be alone."

"Okay," Ben said, reluctantly following Lonnie. "I'll let you be for now."

"Thank you."

\---

It was quiet in the kitchen, Lonnie occasionally asking questions about life on the Isle and Jay answering in between mumbled comments on the food.

"I never realized how bad things were over here," Ben said softly, watching as Jay sliced moldy skin off a couple of potatoes. In Auradon, the thought of eating food that had even the smallest spot of mold on it was nearly unimaginable. Here, Jay had just commented that at least it was a blue mold and not a black or orange one and got to peeling.

"Yea," Jay gave a weird sort of laugh as he rinsed the peeled potatoes. "You guys always act so surprised when you learn about our lives. What did you think would happen when you threw all the world's worst villains into a giant magical prison?"

"I don't know," Ben said. "We didn't expect them to have kids, that's for sure."

"Being incapable of love doesn't mean incapable of sex," Jay muttered. Ben frowned. 

"I suppose the possibility was taken into account, but I guess we figured being parents would make them less evil."

"Yea right," Carlos scoffed from the doorway. Evie entered behind him and sat down next to Lonnie at the table. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the only adult over 30 here that actually cares about any of us kids is Dr. Facilier."

"I don't know, Smee doesn't seem too bad."

"Jay," Carlos said in an exasperated tone that clearly indicated this was something they'd discussed before, "Smee has literally no influence over anything except his kids. Dr. Facilier is the principal and has one of the biggest trade shops in town."

"Okay but consider this. Harriet Hook."

"I said adults over 30."

"Fine," Jay sighed and grabbed out a lighter, turning on the stove and lighting the burner. "You win this time."

"Thank you," Carlos said. "Did you find any salt?"

"Yea, we've got just enough left for everyone to have some on their potatoes."

"Mashed or fried?"

"Fried today, I'm feeling nice."

"Don't you need oil to fry things?" Ben asked, watching as Jay set a saucepan down on the burner and added the diced potatoes. 

"We're out of oil." There was a frozen cube of what looked like butter that Jay shaved a small sliver off of to throw in the pan. It wasn't going to be an easy meal to eat, but it was food and that's all that mattered. 

"Uh oh, guess we'll have to search the nightstands," Carlos said with a teasing smirk.

"I will throw this at you," Jay promised, holding up his knife. 

"Boys, play nice." Evie said.

"Yes ma'am," Jay muttered with a smirk.

"Oh gods," Lonnie suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "It's already 6pm."

"Yea, I guess it is," Carlos said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "We're missing Cotillion."

A heavy silence fell over the kitchen. 

"It's okay," Ben said, his tone that fake cheery sound that tried to cover the despondence in his voice. "My parents will know something's wrong when we don't show up. We'll be out of here in a day or two."

"Are you sure?" Evie asked. Ben was silent for a moment.

"The button in the limo was the only way to open the barrier. They'll have to use Fairy Godmother's wand, so it might take a bit to come up with a spell but we'll be out of here soon. And Mal's thinking about what we'll do until then. I have faith in her."

Speak of the Devil...

"Oh good, you're all in here." Mal walked into the kitchen, as if summoned by the mention of her name. The group fell silent, waiting for her next words.

"Everyone sit down. I have a plan."


	2. Evie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How is Evie handling being on the Isle again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Referenced eating disorder, brief disassociative state
> 
> If you think I need to add anything else to the TW, please let me know!

When she was little, Evie learned quickly that her mother didn't care about her. She was simply another prop for her, a doll to make the perfect pretty princess. Her mother spent years teaching her how to be the perfect daughter. When Evie turned 13, her mother sat her down at the kitchen table and gave Evie the best news of her life. She was going to school. After all, one could be the most perfect princess in the world but it would all be wasted if there was no perfect prince to marry. By going to school, Evie could find her perfect prince. That night, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Of course, Dragon Hall turned out to not have any perfect princes. The closest thing she could find was Jay, the son of Jafar, a former sultan. Her mother had given him a glance and tiredly remarked that he would do if she could find no one else before 18. Then, 3 years later, the second best news of her life happened. She was going to Auradon. She would find a perfect prince, marry him, and become the perfect queen her mother wanted her to be. And then Doug came along, and they all decided to screw being evil, and she didn't feel the need to have a perfect prince anymore. After all, they were never going back to Isle, so she'd never have to face her mother's disappointment.

Except, now, they were back on the Isle and couldn't leave. Word would get around. Her mother would know she was here within the week and Evie would have to face that knowledge. It was terrifying. She wished Doug were here to tell her to be strong and that she didn't need to be a perfect pretty princess to be successful in life. She knew it, of course, but it always helped to hear him say it. She'd wanted to never return to the Isle. She wanted to run off into her bright Auradon future as a fashion designer with Doug at her side.

When Mal said she had a plan, Evie got hopeful for a moment. She imagined a dramatic escape in the morning, returning to Auradon by the end of the day, and forgetting any of this had ever happened.

Naturally, Mal's plan was the exact opposite.

"We're going to try to lay low and act as normal as possible. Act as if we're back to stay. We can let people know that we got unintentionally stuck here, but the general public knowledge is that we're here now and don't plan on leaving again. We're also going to go back to school. Okay, stop your groaning, it's not that bad. School is the safest place from our parents and it's the only neutral zone between gangs. We need to know what's changed since we left. We start tomorrow."

There were some arguments after that about the plan but Evie didn't pay much attention. She was too busy staring down at the grains of wood in the table and keeping her breathing even. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to go to school. She wanted to run away, as far away from here as possible.

"I need some air," Evie said, standing up. "Don't follow, I'll be back soon."

She left the kitchen, floating vacantly through the loft. This place used to be her home, the only place in the whole wide world where she felt truly safe. Now, it was like walking through a stranger's home. There were the scorch marks on the wall from when Carlos put together a homemade flamethrower. There was Mal's first finished can of spray paint, in its spot on the highest shelf. There was the cardboard box filled with every lamp Jay found and Jafar discarded. But who was the girl in these photos on her mirror? She certainly wasn't Evie, not as she was now. She was a perfect pretty princess in a perfect pretty castle with a perfect pretty life. Except that was a lie, wasn't it? Her life on the Isle had been anything but perfect and pretty.

"Eves?" The bed dipped as Mal sat down next to her. Evie looked away from the photo she was holding and wiped away the tears that had started to fall.

"I said not to follow me."

"I know."

Evie's thumb traced the edge of the photograph. It had been taken when they were 15, right after a major victory against Uma. Carlos had found an old Polaroid camera in the stuff brought over from Auradon and it had worked perfectly. They were celebrating on the rooftop, candles lit all around, creating a nice contrast with the dim evening light, shining through the empty glass bottles scattered across the area. Evie was grinning at the camera, her midnight blue hair framing her face in dark waves, an arm flung around Jay's shoulders. If she looked close enough, her cheekbones were too sharp, protruding collarbones and defined ribs thinly veiled by a gossamer blue shirt. Her eyeliner was too bold, her lipstick too red, her foundation too pale. She was a perfect pretty princess, but she _wasn't._

Mal's hand gently covered hers, tugging away the photograph. Evie's tears fell freely now, little dots of water sparkling on the surface of her leather skirt.

"I want to go home."

"I know."

Evie fell against Mal's side, silently sobbing into her shirt. Mal's fingers weaved through her hair, comforting words murmured against her forehead. The bed dipped again a moment later, and again, and again, and again, and soon Evie was surrounded by her friends, her family, and it was _warm_ and _safe_ and she didn't have to be anyone here. She could just be Evie.

"We're here for you Eves." That was Jay's voice, quiet and strong and anchoring.

"We'll be home before you know it." There was Carlos, hopeful and warm and comforting.

"You're not alone." Mal, her best friend, who knew Evie better than she knew herself.

Ben and Lonnie were quiet, more in the background, but still present, with small touches and whispers of "It's going to be okay," against her back.

Eventually, Evie lifted her head up and faced her reflection in the mirror a few feet away. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, there was mascara running down her face in horror movie-esque lines, and she wasn't even going into how much snot was coming from her nose. She could see everyone piled around her, Jay and Mal to her side, Carlos over her shoulder, and Ben and Lonnie behind her.

 _This would be a better photo,_ she thought. _It's real._

"God, I look like a mess," she said instead, with a laugh, and grabbed a couple tissues to clean up her face.

"There she is," Mal said with a small smile, brushing hair off Evie's shoulder. "Glad to have you back."

"I'm sorry," Evie said, shifting to face everyone.

"Don't be," Jay said, wrapping her up in a hug. "We all know how hard being here is for you."

"I know," Evie said, shuddering and sniffling as she took a deep breath in the way you do when you've recently had a breakdown. "And thank you. For being here with me."

"Of course," Carlos said, grabbing her hands. "We'll always be with you."

Evie smiled.

For a moment, there was pure silence.

"Well," Evie said, shifting and breaking it. "Enough sappy stuff. We don't need to sit here and be sentimental all evening. Why is no one in the kitchen making sure the potatoes don't burn?"

"Oh shit," Jay said, leaping up. "I hope you guys don't mind the taste of burnt potatoes."

\---

Evie woke up early the next morning. The sun was coming up, just a faint gray tinge behind the curtains. She crept quietly through the loft, trying not to disturb anyone. Mal, Carlos, and Jay were all still asleep in a pile on the shared bed, and Ben and Lonnie were still snoring from their places on the couch and floor. So maybe being on the Isle again sucked. But she was here now, and she was going to make the best of it.

Within 20 minutes, she had the leftover potatoes heating on the stove and a few cups of coffee brewing. The smell drifted through the apartment and soon enough, everyone drowsily followed it to the kitchen.

"Good morning everyone," Evie said, handing Mal her favorite mug. Mal took it and downed the coffee in two gulps.

"I forgot how bitter this stuff is," Mal said with a wince. "Do we have molasses?"

"Nope, we're all out. Have to get some with the next shipment," Jay said, grabbing his cup from the counter.

"Remind me to send better coffee to the Isle when we get back home," Ben muttered, his face contorting with disgust as he sipped at it.

"It's better if you just drink it all in one go," Carlos said. "Or just don't drink it."

"Okay, we've got 5 hours until school starts-" Mal said, setting her cup down.

"Wait, what?"

"-And I'd like to scope the territory before that. I don't want to walk in blind."

"Wait, school starts when??"

"School starts at noon here. It technically ends at 6 but most people head out by 3 or 4."

"No wonder you're always late to homeroom," Lonnie said, nudging Jay.

Evie raised her hand.

"Yes, Evie?"

"Me, Ben, and Lonnie will be unavailable for scouting. They both need new wardrobes." It was true. They would get nowhere with Ben and Lonnie dressed in Auradon clothes. Sending them out like that would be like putting a bright red target with a blinking arrow and neon lights on them. 

"Alright you're excused then. Jay, Carlos, we'll go get Harold, Jason, and Anthony, and send Dizzie over here. Jay, you'll go with Jason from south to northeast. Carlos, you, Dude, and Anthony will cover northeast to northwest, and I'll take northwest to south with Harold. Got it?"

"Do I have to be with Anthony? He's such a dick."

"Do you want Cruella to know you're here already? It'll get out eventually but if you go with Harold or Jason today, then Horace and Jasper will know before sunset and so will your mother."

"Good point, I'll go with Anthony."

"I think it's best if Dude stays in the apartment as much as possible," Jay said.

"I second that. He's pretty comfortable in the bedroom and I don't really want him wandering around."

"That's fine. We'll meet back here at 11:15. Everyone go get dressed and let's head out."

\---

"Ow!"

"If you stayed still, it wouldn't hurt as much."

Evie pinned up the last part of Lonnie's shirt, stepping back to admire her work. She was repurposing the old clothing that Mal and Jay hadn't taken with them when they left for Auradon and it was turning out splendidly well. Lonnie looked stunning in a torn purple shirt repaired with chainmail underneath a striking red leather vest with a jeweled purple dragon appliqué on the back. Dizzie had come prepared with accessories, and a studded red leather choker with matching wristbands completed the look.

"Perfect!" Evie turned towards Ben, who looked a little uncomfortable wearing one of Jay's old jackets. It was a bit too big, so she'd have to take it in and maybe rip off the cobra patch while she was at it. All in all, about 40 minutes of work if she was fast.

"I don't have anything for him," Dizzie shrugged, following her gaze towards Ben. "He doesn't seem like the rhinestone type."

"That's okay. I just need to get out my sewing machine and I'll have these outfits finished before we leave for school." Evie began to pack away her pins and tape measures. Ben looked mildly offended at Dizzy's comment, but Evie agreed. He wasn't really the type to wear rhinestones.

"Awww, come on. You guys come back to the Isle and the first thing you want to do is school?"

"Yes, Dizzie," Evie said, laughing. "School is important, you should go."

"I've got better things to do with my time than go to school. Now if I were at Auradon Prep... That would be a different story." Dizzie twirled a pencil, clearly lost in thought about Auradon. Evie felt a pang of sorrow for the young girl.

"You could come. Eventually," Ben said as he shrugged off the jacket for Evie. "I think I want to bring more kids over from the Isle."

"Really??" Dizzie grinned and jumped up, hugging the king. "Thank you!"

Evie went to grab the jacket from him and paused with her hand halfway there. The hair on the back of her neck rose. Something wasn't right.

"Did you hear that?" She asked with a glance at Dizzie, who'd also gone on alert.

"Creaking outside the window? Yup."

Evie motioned for Ben and Lonnie to be quiet and moved silently towards the window, drawing out the knife hidden under her skirt. Dizzie pulled out a set of throwing stars and followed her. Evie pointed her towards the left side and took the right. There was definitely someone moving on the staircase outside. The window began to slid up and Evie's hand tightened on the handle of her dagger.

One boot landed on the floor, then another, then-

"Harry?" Evie sighed and lowered her weapon. "What are you doing here?"

"Why is he here?" Ben walked over, grabbing one of the nearby swords and pointing it at Harry. "I thought you said the pirates couldn't get in here."

"Well, isn't this cute," Harry grinned and looked Ben up and down. "Tha' jacket looked better on Jay. So, it's true tha' you're stuck on tha' Isle again."

"Harry, you can't just show up here like this." Evie stepped back and resheathed her dagger. Ben followed her lead, lowering the point of the sword but still glaring at the pirate.

"Just lookin' for Jay, do ya know where he is? We need ta have a little talk, if ya know wha' I mean."

"He's not here. I'll tell him you stopped by though." Evie gave Harry her nicest 'get out of my house' smile. "Better leave before Mal gets back."

"Tell him tha' next time he drops ma hook in the water, I'll stick it in him."

"Sounds kinky. Get out." Evie pointed at the window. Harry grinned and bowed.

"Oh an' one more thing," Harry said, starting to climb out. "Uma's gonna kill ya all tha' next time she sees ya."

"Great. Bye." Evie shut the window behind him and sighed, rolling her eyes. "He gets more annoying every time I see him."

"I'm with Ben, I thought the pirates weren't supposed to be able to get here." Lonnie looked nervously at the window.

"They're not. Harry's special." Evie was definitely going to kill Jay when he got back. "He and Jay are friends or something. He's the only one allowed in our territory."

"Then why'd you warn him to leave before Mal gets back?"

"She doesn't like it when he comes to the loft. She only let him and Jay stay friends because he threatened to leave us if she didn't." Evie collected the pile of clothing scattered around.

"Rumor says that they're more than just friends," Dizzie said, skipping over to the couch.

"Rumor is wrong," Evie said with a sharp look at Dizzie.

"She says that Gil says he saw them kissing at the docks once."

"Everyone kisses their friends sometimes." It was actually something different she'd noticed when they had arrived in Auradon. No one there was really ever physically affectionate with their friends. It was weird.

"Yea but it wasn't like friend kissing. It was like hookup kissing."

"Whatever they might have done isn't our business," Evie said, hoping that would get Dizzie to stop talking about it. The last thing they needed right now were rumors flying about Mal's second-in-command and Uma's first mate. "Now help me out with these. We've got to finish these outfits before school."

And with that end to that conversation, Evie left the room.


	3. Carlos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting this yesterday, I'm not used to updating on a schedule. Hopefully that will change as time goes on! ^-^
> 
> Warnings: Minor panic attack, referenced abuse.

They made it through the first day of school okay. Watching Ben and Lonnie make their way around Dragon Hall, Carlos was constantly reminded of how different Auradon was from the Isle. Yesterday, Lonnie had accidentally taken Yzla's seat in Enrichment and it had resulted in a 20 minute shouting match between the two. Yzla had demanded that she sit on the floor as repentance for daring to take her seat, and Lonnie retaliated with a rather impressive array of insults for a kid raised in Auradon.

Today, hopefully, was going to go a little better.

"Gods, I forgot how much Lady Tremaine drives me insane," Carlos said, dropping into the seat next to Ben. "She yells so much at us. Don't know how Dizzy lives with that."

"Am I in her class?" Ben asked, tilting his head. Carlos laughed.

"Dude, you can pretty much go to whatever classes you want."

"Oh," Ben frowned. "You know, I'm beginning to realize you guys must've been very confused when you started school at Auradon Prep."

"We figured things out quickly," Carlos said with a shrug. "But it did take me a couple days to figure out I had a specific schedule."

"Your teachers loved that, I'm sure." Ben said.

"Oh yea, you bet they did."

Carlos saw Jay enter the classroom out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey guys," he said, taking the seat in front of Carlos and turning it around. "Lonnie's with Evie. I seriously have to reconsider letting her on the fencing team when we get back to Auradon."

"What did she do?" Carlos asked, leaning forward.

"Rumor, you know, Helga Sinclair's daughter? She was talking shit about us and Auradon, saying that we're Auradon kids now and that means we're so soft, we'd probably get on our knees and beg if someone told us to. Lonnie looked her right in the eye and said she could keep her opinions to herself and if she didn't, she'd be more than happy to make her get down on her knees and beg."

Carlos let out a low whistle of admiration. The last person to stand up to Rumor like that had been found the next morning, stark naked and tied to the broken mast of the capsized Jolly Roger.

"I'm guessing Rumor is someone you don't want to mess with?" Ben asked, looking between the two of them. Jay and Carlos both instantly shook their heads.

"There's a reason she's nicknamed Rumor. You don't want to get on her bad side."

The sound of a door shutting startled Carlos and he looked over, seeing Gothel entering the classroom.

"Oh boy," he muttered to Jay. "Here we go again."

"Students!" Gothel shouted as she dumped the basket she carried everywhere on the desk. "I've said it a hundred times, you have to wait for me to arrive! Can't you follow a simple set of directions?"

"Does she do this every day?" Ben asked, leaning over to whisper to Carlos.

"Yup," Carlos said, sitting back and examining his fingernails while Gothel ranted at the front of the classroom. "Every. Single. Day."

Class was incredibly slow. Carlos had never had much interest in Selfishness 101, preferring to instead study for Weird Science when he had free time. He thought learning about the perfect angle to take a photo at was a little useless, though he understood why Evie had excelled so much in this class. He hadn't seen her in this class yesterday though, and it looked like she wouldn't be here today either. Auradon had really changed her. Carlos sometimes wondered if he was really that different now than before they went to Auradon.

Like Dude. Carlos could perfectly remember the first day he'd met Dude, the familiar terror that had filled him as he heard the sound of a dog barking. No one knew, but that had been his first time ever hearing a real dog bark that wasn't just a crappy recording on tape. He ran, pushing his body past its limit as he raced as far away as he could. His lungs were burning, his heart pounding, but all he could think about was his mother's voice telling him that if he didn't have the house cleaned and spotless by the time she returned, she'd send Jasper and Horace out to find a great big dog that would rip him to shreds and he'd be able to feel every bite as he bled. There were no dogs anymore on the Isle, but Carlos lived in fear of that one small percent chance that some had survived. 

When Ben had introduced him to Dude, Carlos knew he had to stay as calm as possible. He didn't want Ben questioning deeper into his fear of dogs. He'd known from a young age that his mother was worse than most parents on the Isle, driven completely insane by the loss of the Dalmatian puppies. Carlos had taken Dude in his arms, giving Ben his most convincing smile as adrenaline flooded his system and every molecule screamed at him to drop the dog and run away. The instant Ben had left, Carlos set Dude down and slowly backed away to be sick in the bushes. Dude had sat calmly at his side while he heaved and laid a paw on his thigh in what was obviously meant to be a comforting gesture, but Carlos couldn't stop shuddering. It took two weeks before Carlos could see Dude as something other than a monster to be feared, and another month before his heart stopped pounding at every move the dog made.

They'd had a long talk the night Dude had gained the ability to speak (which was still really weird, even after a few days of adjusting to it), where Carlos explained to him about the Isle and how his mother had raised him with a fear of dogs. Dude had responded that he'd suspected since their first meeting that Carlos had been through something traumatic having to do with dogs. Traumatic was a word that didn't exist on the Isle, but Carlos thought it described his childhood pretty well.

When he realized Dude had snuck onto the limo, Carlos was terrified, for the first time for the little dog and not because of him. If his mother got word of a dog on the Isle... Well... Carlos had seen her reactions to the stuffed, plush dogs that the monthly shipments sometimes brought over. He didn't want to think about what she would do to a real dog.

He wasn't going to be able to hide from her either. Not for long. She'd eventually hear about his presence on the Isle, if she hadn't already, and he'd have to face her.

Or...

Carlos was struck with an idea. It was one he never would have considered in the past but his time in Auradon had given him more courage.

Carlos leaned forward and tapped on Jay's shoulder. The other boy turned around, raising an eyebrow at him.

'I just had an idea,' Carlos signed. Years ago, Mal had decided they needed ways of communicating without talking in case they were captured and unable to speak, and their made up system sometimes came in handy for talking in class without worry of being overheard.

'What?' Jay signed back.

'What if instead of waiting for Cruella to come to me, I go to her?'

Jay gave him an incredulous look.

'Have you gone mad?' He frantically signed, catching Ben's attention. 'Did you eat the little red berries by the gravestones again?'

"What's going on?" Ben whispered. Carlos waved him off and answered Jay.

'No, I didn't eat the berries. I just thought, you know, if I go to her before she comes to me, maybe it'll go better.'

'Carlos, this is not a good idea.'

'Jay, please. I have to try.'

Carlos gave Jay his best pleading look. His friend hesitated for a moment before giving in.

'Fine, but I'm coming with you.'

'Wouldn't expect anything less.'

Carlos sat back in his seat, grinning triumphantly.

"What was all that?" Ben asked, pointing between him and Jay.

"I'll fill you in later," Carlos said. Now he just had to get through the rest of class without dying of boredom.

\---

The bell finally rang half an hour later.

"We're going now, aren't we?" Jay asked warily, eyeing Carlos as they stood up.

"Yup!" Carlos said, clapping him on the shoulder. "As soon as we drop off Ben with Evie and Lonnie."

"Where are you going?" Ben asked as they left the classroom. "Does this have to do with your ASL conversation earlier?"

"Our what?" Carlos asked.

"ASL. Auradon Sign Language. It's a way for people who can't hear to communicate. It's required for kids to learn in elementary school, but I didn't recognize any of your signs so I guess it would be more like ISL. Isle Sign Language."

Carlos and Jay exchanged a look and shrugged.

"I don't know anything about Auradon Sign Language," Carlos said, "But the gangs on the Isle usually come up with ways of communicating without talking. It's sort of necessary."

"I've heard that Uma makes the Lost Revenge crew communicate with taps. Like different patterns with certain fingers."

"Oh that sounds interesting," Carlos said. "A lot less obvious than moving your hands around."

"Yea but you have to near the person. You can see our hand signals from like, 5 rooftops away."

"So where are you guys going?" Ben asked, pulling the conversation back to where it was.

"Hell Hall."

"Why are you going to a place called Hell Hall?"

"I have to talk with my mom," Carlos said, picking up the pace as they walked down the hall.

"Your - wait - huh?"

Carlos heard Jay quietly explaining behind him as he walked.

"Carlos used to live at Hell Hall with Cruella. He wants to go talk to her before she finds him."

"Can I - ?"

"No," Carlos snapped, spinning around and cutting Ben off. Truth be told, he'd felt great about his idea when he talked to Jay in class but as they drew closer to actually going, he was feeling less and less like it had been a good idea. "I'm doing this with Jay and Jay only. You're staying here with Lonnie and Evie."

"Okay," Ben raised his hands in surrender. "I understand. Good luck."

"Thanks," Carlos said. They stopped at the entrance to the gym, where Evie and Lonnie could be seen running laps for warm-up. "See ya later."

"Stay safe," Ben called as they left.

Carlos and Jay left the school in silence. It was a short and familiar walk from Dragon Hall to his old home.

It felt strange to be walking this path again. After Ben's coronation, Carlos had simply taken for granted that he'd never go back to the Isle. Even with the rescue, he hadn't given much thought to Hell Hall, as the plan had been to get in and out of Uma's territory as fast as possible. Hell Hall was nowhere near the docks. Even the other night, he hadn't thought about it until Mal said they'd be going back to school.

"You know, you don't have to do this," Jay said conversationally, kicking at the rocks in the unpaved street. 

"Yes, I do," Carlos said. He glanced up at the sky, the clouds just thin enough today to be a bright gray color that hurt to look at. He missed the blue that he'd become used to these past months. "I need to stand up to her. Isn't that the whole point of being good? That we're stronger than evil?"

"Yea," Jay said. "But you don't have to prove anything. We know you're strong."

" _I_ need to know that too though." He sounded desperate, even to his own ears, and was thankful when Jay simply nodded and fell silent.

Hell Hall came into view a moment later, the old mansion still as terrifying as ever. Carlos shuddered at the sight of the towering building and briefly considered calling the whole thing off. But no, he had to push on. He had to do this. A confrontation with his mother would happen eventually, and this way, it was on his terms.

"Ready?" Jay asked as they walked up to the front door. Carlos shook his head and knocked. The door creaked open.

"Hello pup," Horace greeted, smiling thinly down at him. Carlos lifted his chin and stared back. Horace had never scared him as much as Jasper did.

"Is Cruella home?" He asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"Yes, right this way." Horace opened the door further, inviting them into the nearly pitch-black entrance hallway. Carlos's throat closed at the sight, memories flashing through his head at lightning speed. He knew if you stepped on the fourth floorboard from the doorway, it made a creaking noise loud enough to hear upstairs. He could almost feel the cold of the basement wash room, how in the winter his fingers would freeze as he folded laundry. He saw the utter darkness of the bedroom closet, where Cruella kept her precious furs. He remembered everything and it _hurt._

"Actually, we'd prefer to speak to her out here." Jay stepped in, shifting just enough to brush their shoulders together in a just-barely-there gesture of comfort.

"But of course," Horace said, his top lip curling up in disgust. "I wouldn't want a petty thief taking the lady's treasures."

"Great." Jay gave an obviously fake smile in return. "We'll be waiting."

Horace closed the door and Carlos slumped against Jay's side, clutching the other boy's jacket.

"I can't do this," he panted, his heart pounding. He couldn't do it. He couldn't be here. What was he thinking, coming here voluntarily? Cruella was going to come out and drag him inside and he'd have to sleep on the dressing room floor past the closet of bear traps again and be stuck here forever. He couldn't do it.

"Yes you can," Jay said, grabbing his face and forcing Carlos to look at him. "Deep breaths, okay? Just like Jane taught you."

Carlos nodded. Jane. His friend back at Auradon. The girl he'd wanted to ask to Cotillion. Jane, who was probably worrying herself sick over him missing. She'd taught him to take deep breaths when he started panicking over something. How did it go again? In 2, 3, 4, hold 2, 3, 4, out, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. That was it. In 2, 3, 4...

"I'm okay," Carlos choked out a second later. His throat was completely dry and he swallowed a couple times, taking another deep breath. "I'm okay."

"Carlos!"

The front door slammed open. Carlos immediately stood ramrod straight, Jay's hands dropping away. His mother stood in the doorway, dressed to the nines in faux fur and wreathed with a ring of cigar smoke.

"My darling pup! You've returned to me."

Carlos shook. Cruella's grin was full of malice, and he knew she wasn't happy to see him again. Jay griped his hand, not at all subtle this time.

"M-Mom," Carlos said. In, 2, 3, 4, out, 2, 3, 4... "I'm not back to stay. I j-just came to say..."

He glanced at Jay, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. He could do this.

"You sucked at being a mom." Cruella's eyes went wide at his words, the evil smirk slipping for a second. Shit. He had not meant to say that. At least, not like that. "Sh-shit I meant, fuck - "

"Carlos! How dare - "

"Mom just shut up and let me talk!" Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Well, he'd just picked his coffin, might as well start digging. "You tre-treated me like I was a dog! You made me do everything for you, like I was your personal servant or something. I had to sleep on the floor, wear that ridiculous collar, I couldn't even sit at the table or eat out of regular dishes. I was just a k-kid, Mom. I was your son. I didn't deserve any of it."

Cruella's face had grown more stoic with every word he said. Carlos held his breath, hoping to hell that she wouldn't grab him by the shirt and haul him back to a life of misery.

"Careful Carlos, the dog who bites the hand the hand that feeds it doesn't get a second chance." Cruella's voice held a warning, soft spoken and full of threats. The frustration welled up in his chest, his muscles tightening and a silent scream building in the back of his throat. 

He took a step towards her, fueled by years of anger. Go big or go home, that's what they always say.

"That's exactly what I mean! Even now, you're still comparing me to a dog. I'm not a dog, Cruella, I'm a human being."

His mom stared down at him. Carlos held his ground, tightening his hold on Jay's hand.

"Fine," Cruella finally said, and Carlos nearly sobbed with relief. She was giving him his freedom. "Go be someone else's bitch, I don't care. But if you ever come near this house again, well darling, that coat of yours would be a fine addition to my collection."

Cruella stepped back and slammed the door shut. Carlos collapsed where he stood, falling to his knees in shock.

"I did it," He laughed, looking up at Jay. "I did it!"

"Hell yeah dude!" Jay knelt down and wrapped him in a hug, giving a shocked chuckle of his own. "Carlos, did Cruella really just threaten to skin you?"

"Yea," Carlos nodded, laughing harder in Jay's arms. "Yea she did."

"Fuck," Jay said, trying to hold back his laughter and failing. "I'm sorry, it's really not funny."

"No it's not," Carlos said as wiped tears away between hysterical fits. "It's really not."

Eventually the shock began to wear off and their laughter slowed, turning into a long stretch of silence. Carlos stared down at the stone path, turning over the interaction again and again in his mind.

_Cruella de Vil,_

"You know," he finally said, looking over at his best friend. "Until today, I didn't have a single good memory of this place."

_Cruella de Vil,_

"Let's get out of here then."

_If she doesn't scare you,_

Jay stood up and held his hand out. Carlos took one last look over his shoulder at the front door. The paint was starting to chip, showing the rotting wood beneath the layers. How poetic. Carlos turned around and took Jay's hand.

_No evil thing will._


	4. Jay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, this chapter was originally a LOT shorter and very different. And then one night, I was doing the dishes and came up with a different, more dramatic idea and nearly broke a dish while running to write it down. Also props to whoever figures out what song I was listening to while writing the argument scene. (answer will be in the next chapter's notes, if you want to know but can't figure it out.)
> 
> Warnings: Underage drinking, referenced abuse, a kind of intense argument between Jay and Harry.

_Four years ago -_

_Jay was on some random roof with a bottle of Scotch and zero fucks to give. The day hadn't gone very well. He'd brought home another non-magical lamp for Jafar, who had decided it would make a great demonstration in giving him a lesson on why he shouldn't bring home non-magical lamps._

_"Tha' looks like it hurts," Harry Hook said, plopping down next to him._

_"You're not supposed to be here," Jay said without any bite in his voice, tipping back the bottle and drinking._

_"Actually, ya crossed tha' line about three buildings back." Harry pointed behind him._

_"Great," Jay muttered. "I'll just go then."_

_"Hold on now," Harry said, catching his wrist as Jay went to stand up. "Who gave ya tha' shiner?"_

_"Why do you care?"_

_"Cannae have someone else beatin' on mah favorite foe now, can I?" Harry played it off with a shrug, but Jay could hear a note of concern creep into the pirate's voice._

_"Twas mah pops," Jay said mockingly, but sat back down. "I guess I've brought home one too many worthless lamps."_

_"Tha's bullshit," Harry said, grabbing the bottle from him and taking a swig. "Mah old man, he used ta think I was Pan when I was a wee little thing. Couldn't stand tha' idea of tha' boy bein' around. Started puttin' on Harriet's makeup, dying mah hair, an' he didn' even recognize me. Saved mah sorry ass more than once."_

_"Shit dude," Jay said. He glanced at Harry, noticing for the first time ever the reddish brown roots in his hair. "Our parents are kinda fucked up."_

_"Yep," Harry handed the bottle back to him. "So, ya steal cause your dad makes ya?"_

_"Not exactly," Jay swirled the liquid around. There wasn't much left, so he tipped it back and finished the bottle, setting it down with a hollow clink. "It started as a way to defy him. He was always going on about Aladdin and how a dirty no-good thief had taken his place as Agrabah royalty. So I started stealing. Best way I could get away with defying him. He hated it, of course, but after a bit he realized I could take things for him to sell. Now, he gets angry if I don't steal enough. Ironic, right?"_

_"Mhmm," Harry nodded. "When'd you get the piercing done?"_

_Jay blinked, startled at the abrupt subject change. He reached up and touched the red gem studded through his ear._

_"Evie did it for me." He still remembered that day perfectly. "After a defeat last year. I wanted something to remember it by, a reminder to be faster and fight harder."_

_His ear had hurt for days afterward, the skin around the new piercing red and tender. Evie swabbed the area with whiskey every morning though, and soon enough it had healed over without infection._

_"Looks good on ya," Harry said. Jay grinned._

_"Course it does," He said. "Everything looks good on me."_

_"You're an attractive person Jay."_

_"Careful Harry," Jay said with a small laugh, nudging the boy next to him with his shoulder. "Sounds almost like you're attracted to me."_

_"Maybe I am." Harry shrugged. He looked completely serious, and Jay wasn't sure entirely how to react to that. To be honest, he'd never considered the pirate much in terms of looks. In most of their encounters, he'd been more focused on keeping himself from getting run through with a sword._

_It wasn't like Harry's attraction to him was much of a problem. There were much more pressing matters on the Isle than caring about whether boys (or girls) were attracted to each other as opposed to the opposite sex. And while Jay had mostly flirted with the girls at school, he would admit more than a few guys had caught his attention. And Harry was pretty good looking..._

_Jay shifted, turning to face Harry, who copied him. Jay tilted his head, examining Harry's features for a moment. He leaned in, hesitating for a second to give Harry time to back out if he wanted. Harry didn't, grabbing the back of his neck with his hook and pulling Jay in._

_Kissing Harry was nice. It was different from the other times he'd kissed people, a little rougher and the cold metal against his neck was creating a nice contrast with the heat from Harry's mouth._

_"Don't tell Mal," Jay said as they parted. Harry snickered._

_"Don' want your little girlfriend gettin' mad?"_

_Jay glared and lightly hit Harry's shoulder._

_"Like Uma wouldn't kill you too if either of them found out about this. And out of the two of us, you're the one who's actually been with Mal."_

_"Ah, ya've got a point there," Harry said, sitting back. "I'd actually forgotten about tha', it was so long ago."_

_"I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know that." Jay said._

_The conversation moved on, the kiss forgotten. It was never brought up again, but that night Jay's dreams were filled with hands and kisses and the burning sensation of freezing metal against warmed skin. He woke up panting, trying to frantically remember it through the fog of sleep, but the memory of the dream slipped away like a raindrop into a puddle._

_Days later, he met Harry again on that same rooftop and the sparks of friendship were fanned. They never talked about it, but physical affection slowly became their language, something they shared when the days got dark and lonely. So what if Jay kissed Harry each time he had to patch the pirate up after a fight? So what if Harry tangled his hands in Jay's hair and held him close when Jay was kicked out of the shop for the night? So what if Jay had every scar on Harry's body memorized on the tip of his tongue? They were closer than most, and Jay was content. Harry was the brightest spot in his hellish life on the Isle._

_As long as he had Harry, he would be okay._

\---

When Jay left for Auradon, he brought with him two things. His bag packed with his meager belongings, and a promise.

The night before they left, Jay had slipped away, searching the darkened streets for his pirate. When he found Harry, he pulled him into an alleyway and whispered their plan to him, how Mal planned to steal the most powerful wand in the world and use it to break the barrier. Harry had grinned at him with a feral light in his eyes and Jay would've done anything for him in that second. He said, he _promised,_ that he would be back soon.

That had been 6 months ago.

His time in Auradon had taught him many things.

Good things, like how to work as a team player and what flavor of ice cream was the best, but also bad things like laws about what he could and could not do (why did he legally have to attend school??) and that boys don't kiss their male friends. Not platonically, at least.

That one had been quite the shocker. Auradon's stigma around anything more than a PG rating had Jay awkwardly tripping over himself in social interactions more than once. Like the time Chad invited the tourney team to a party at his house over the weekend and Jay had asked whether he preferred rum or vodka. That had the entire tourney team staring at him until he'd shrugged and meekly said, "Isle stuff?"

Or when Jordan asked why he kept a nail file in his pockets at all times and his response was, "Nail files are a great weapon. You can stab them pretty much anywhere, they can scrape skin deep enough to bleed if you press hard enough, and they're smaller than a knife. And for an added bonus, they keep your nails short when you're trying to get lucky with the ladies." Jordan had given him a sort of scandalized and fearful look and never asked about his habits again.

And then finding out that in Auradon people were way less physically affectionate nearly drove Jay insane. Okay, so maybe he and Harry had been a bit extreme, but he'd kissed both Carlos and Evie to show gratitude before and the four of them shared a bed in the loft for the gods' sake. He'd seen Harry kiss both Uma and Gil during celebrations and those three always seemed to be touching one another in some way, whether it was an arm around the waist or a hand on the shoulder. Kids on the Isle got no real physical or emotional affection from their parents, so they sought it out elsewhere. It was normal.

But then Auradon had to come along, with their stupid ways, and suddenly Jay was getting weird looks any time he causally showed any affection. He couldn't even hold hands with anyone without someone thinking he meant it in a romantic way. It was, quite honestly, fucking ridiculous.

Being back on the Isle, with Auradon kids no less, was strange. He wasn't entirely sure how to act now. If it had been just them four, he would've gone right back to his old ways. But with Ben and Lonnie around, something was different. Maybe he wanted them to see that he'd changed. That he could do the right thing, even in a bad situation.

It was this thinking that had Jay creeping through the loft at 2 AM, slipping out silently through the window.

Oxymoron, I know. Why would him sneaking out be something good?

Jay needed to find Harry. That would be much easier to do without everyone's questions about where he was going.

The look in the pirate's eyes the other day, when he told them Ben had been taken hostage, was etched in his memory. His gaze had been one of a burning fury and Jay knew Harry deserved an explanation. He was owed that much.

The streetlamps were on, thankfully, and they guided him as he walked. It had only been a few months since he left, but he'd grown used to the moon's light guiding him when he was out at night. Being able to see the sun and the moon was almost as strange to Jay as Auradon's lack of physical affection. The clouds above the Isle blocked them out, and even though he had a vague idea of what the sun and moon looked like from books, he hadn't at all been prepared for sunsets and moonbeams.

The Isle was never silent, and Jay found a comfort in the sounds of the taverns and late midnight shops as he walked, making his way down to the docks. The smell of the sea strengthened as he drew closer, salty air blowing in the wind.

A dark figure emerged as Jay turned the corner and within seconds, he was pinned against the brick wall, a hook at his throat and an arm crossing his chest.

"Ya fucking arsehole." Harry's voice was by his ear, angrier than Jay had ever heard it before. "I ought ta hook ya right here."

"Do it," Jay said, lifting his chin a little. The hook pressed closer, digging into his skin and dangerously close to cutting off his airway. "I'd deserve it."

There was silence for a second, then Harry huffed and stepped back. Jay swallowed a few times, trying to clear away the phantom sensations in his throat.

"It's not as fun when ya want me ta do it," Harry muttered. He glared at Jay for a moment, then turned and began to walk away.

"Hey wait!" Jay lunged after him, grabbing Harry's wrist. "I'm sorry."

Harry stopped in his tracks. 'I'm sorry' weren't words that were spoken on the Isle, and Jay felt weird using them, even now. He also knew that it would be the only thing that would get Harry to listen to him.

"Ya promised, Jaeda."

Jay's heart pounded. It was a low blow, using his full name. Jay hated his full name. He hated that Jafar had given him a _girl's_ name. Harry _knew_ that.

"I know and I'm sorry."

"Stop fuckin' saying tha'!" Harry whirled around, and Jay took a step back. Harry's eyes were full of rage, his voice full of pain. "Ya left. Ya promised ya would be back an' then ya left and ya never came back. Did ya even think once about us back here while ya were off bein' fancy an' famous an' shit in Auradon?"

"Of course I did!" Jay took a deep breath and softened his voice, trying to remember Fairy Godmother's lesson on compassion. "Of course I did, Harry. I could never forget you."

Harry scoffed at that.

"Well, forgive me for thinkin' ya had after 6 months without a word," He said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"We're working on bringing more Isle kids over." It wasn't entirely a lie. Jay had spent a fair bit of the past 6 months pestering Ben about bringing more VK's to Auradon. He was pretty sure that Ben was starting to seriously consider it. His reveal of that might have been the wrong thing though, as Harry somehow looked more mad now.

"Ya what? Oh, oh! How great! We'll all jus' hop an' skip over ta Auradon now an' make daisy chains with fuckin' princesses. I cannae wait ta get mah own sparkly dress and five hundred fuckin' forest animals singin' in tha' background."

"Harry-"

"No. I'm not gonna be some fuckin' bloody creature poster girl like the rest of ya over there livin' tha' stupid Auradon life."

Harry was mad. Harry had every right to be mad. Jay had broken his promise and he hated himself for that. He didn't want Harry to be mad. His heart pounded, a strange emotion coursing in his veins. He wanted to take the pirate in his arms and kiss him until everything was okay again and-

"I love you." Jay blurted out, then clamped a hand over his mouth. Oops. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug. To be honest, he hadn't quite known what his feelings were about the pirate until that moment. Apparently they ran deeper than he'd thought. 

"Fuck, Jay." The anger seemed to bleed out of Harry all at once, leaving the pirate staring at him in shock. "Fuck! Ya cannae just say tha'!"

If the words "I'm sorry" were rarely spoken on the Isle, the words "I love you" were like a unicorn. Which... Actually weren't all that rare in Auradon but whatever, the point stills stands. "I love you" was something you _never_ heard, sincerely at least, on the Isle. Sometimes parents used it to make their kids think they cared about them, but they never did. It was never in earnest.

But Jay, Jay had just said it genuinely. To Harry Hook, his best friend from a rival gang.

"I-" Jay stared back, his eyes wide. "I didn't mean to say that."

"No shit!" Harry said, his voice jumping an octave higher than usual, panic seeping into his expression. "What tha' fuck have they been teachin' ya over there!?"

"Uhh-" Jay's brain was sort of short-circuiting at the moment. He'd told Harry that he loved him. He _loved_ him. _He loved Harry._

"By all tha' gods of tha' sea Jay, I thought ya were smart." Harry grabbed his hand and started pulling him down the docks, looking around at the shadows. "We have ta get somewhere quiet, gods' know who mighta heard ya."

"Yea," Jay said absent-mindedly, letting Harry lead him. He was replaying those words over and over in his head, wondering when the hell he'd started loving Harry. Had it been the day he left, when he realized how much he was going to miss having Harry around? Had it been last year, when Harry had been injured and Jay spent every waking moment he could with the pirate? Or even...dare he think it...that day on the rooftop all those years ago? When he'd first tasted Harry's lips on his and never let go of the feeling? _Shit._

"Here, we'll be safe in here," Harry said. Jay snapped back to reality, his jaw dropping at the sight of The Lost Revenge. That was Uma's ship. That was Uma's ship, and Harry was pulling him up the ramp onto it. "Mah cabin is soundproof, we can talk there."

"Uh-huh," Jay said, fully on alert as he looked around. If anyone saw him here, he was dead for sure.

Harry led him into the first mate's cabin, shutting and latching the door quietly. It was a nice place, a mattress with a couple blankets in one corner and an old wooden desk covered in papers in the other corner. Harry turned the dial on the kerosene lamp by the door, the dim light slowly getting brighter.

"Okay," Harry said, walking further into the room. Jay elected to stay in his spot by the door. "What tha' actual fuck did ya mean when ya said ya loved me?"

"I mean," Jay cleared his throat and awkwardly looked away. "I meant what I said."

"Ya love me?" Harry raised his eyebrow. Jay nodded.

"Yea. Yea, I- that's what I said."

"Ya aren't pullin' mah leg? Ya actually love me?"

"Yup." Jay looked up, not daring to believe that he'd heard hope in Harry's voice just now. The pirate stared at him, and Jay's face started to burn under the scrutinizing look he was getting.

"This doesn't excuse anythin'. Ya still left for 6 months."

"I know." Jay promised himself he wouldn't cry. He was not going to cry over something like this. 

"Tha' hurt, Jay. Tha' really hurt. Did ya ever stop ta think tha' maybe ya weren't tha' only one feelin' some things?"

Harry looked more open and vulnerable than Jay had ever seen him. He hadn't been imagining it in Harry's voice a moment ago. Harry loved him back. Somehow that was less mind-numbing than Jay's realization of his own feelings had been.

He loved Harry. Harry loved him. Now what? 

Maybe crying have been the best option...

Jay ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, keeping his emotions in check.

"To be honest," he said, trying to get his thoughts in order, "I was ready to take over Auradon right up until Mal's big speech about being good. But then, suddenly there were options. Suddenly we weren't villains anymore and things were different, and I didn't have to worry about Jafar and survival anymore. And then everything was happening so quickly, I barely had time to think. And yea, I knew I'd broken my promise and I felt horrible about it. You have no idea how horrible I felt about it. I spent so many weeks trying to break into Ben's office just so I could come back here. But they had this special electronic stuff that I couldn't figure out and I couldn't ask Carlos because everyone else was so happy about never having to go back to the Isle but I knew you were still here and I couldn't give up on that."

Jay trailed off at the end of his mini-speech, waiting for Harry's response, the silence growing thicker and thicker as the seconds ticked on.

"Ya fuckin' bastard," Harry finally said, stepping forward and grabbing Jay's face, pulling him into a kiss.

Jay's eyes widened for a second, then slowly slid shut as he relaxed into the kiss. He parted his lips, the electric feeling of Harry's mouth moving against his tingling down his spine and igniting every nerve. It felt so good to have him back in his arms and Jay clutched at fabric of Harry's signature red coat, wanting to never let go.

Soon, too soon, Harry was pulling away and resting their foreheads together.

"So...?" Jay began when he finally felt like he could speak again. "What now?"

"I haven't forgiven ya," Harry mumbled, his eyes still closed. "Maybe never will. It was hell without ya here Jay."

"I know." Jay felt like he'd said those words a million times that night. "It was hell in Auradon without you too."

Harry sighed and opened his eyes, meeting Jay's gaze just a few inches away.

"Ya can't ever do tha' again, ya hear?"

"I promise, I won't." Jay saw the wariness in Harry's eyes at his words, but he also saw the trust, the faith that this time, Jay wouldn't go back on his word. And Jay wouldn't. He never wanted to hurt Harry like that ever again. "Are we okay now?"

"Ya still have a lot ta make up for."

And then Harry smiled at him, a real genuine smile, for the first time in 6 months. And Jay knew everything would be okay. As long as he had Harry, he would be okay.

"Ya know," Harry said, his voice dropping as he leaned in to kiss Jay again. "I've always wondered what an Auradon boy would be like in bed."

"I'm not an Auradon boy," Jay objected, but it was a weak protest, especially as Harry tugged him in the direction of the mattress on the floor.

"Mhmm, sure ya aren't gorgeous," Harry mumbled, moving to mouth at Jay's neck as they collapsed on the bed.

"Oh, fuck, I've missed this," Jay moaned, his eyes fluttering shut as he gave in.

\---

It was almost dawn by the time Jay snuck back into the loft. He quietly shut the window behind him, resetting the lock the way it was when he left. It had been almost painful to say goodbye to Harry, but he had to return before someone discovered his absence. He'd left the pirate tangled in the blankets with a kiss and a promise to return the next night.

Jay turned away from the window, making his way towards the bedroom in the near darkness.

"Late night?"

"Holy fuck!" Jay's heart-rate jumped to about a thousand beats a minute. Ben sat up a little more, looking at him over the back of the couch. "Dude why are you awake?"

"I like watching the dawn at Auradon. Can't see it here but I'm still used to waking up early. Where were you?"

"It doesn't matter." Jay shifted uncomfortably, glancing towards the bedroom door. If one of the others woke up before he returned, he'd have to explain everything and while he knew he would have to tell them eventually, he wasn't much in the mood for that conversation tonight.

"Sure," Ben said, raising his eyebrows at Jay. "You're just sneaking out at night for no reason."

"It's..." Jay waved a hand dismissively, his mind flashing back to the image of Harry moaning as Jay sucked dark marks into the pale skin of the pirate's chest. Yea, no way he was telling Ben about that. "Isle stuff."

"You guys keep saying that, but I'm here on the Isle now too. Don't I deserve a little explanation?"

"It's complicated," Jay said, trying to frantically think of a good way to phrase it. "I had to apologize to someone I'd hurt badly when we all decided to be good."

"To Harry Hook, I'm guessing?" Ben asked. Jay stared at him, panicked thoughts racing through his head. Had Ben followed them? Had he heard Jay's confession? Had he seen Harry taking Jay back to the ship, and Jay leaving hours later with messed up hair and swollen lips?

"How the hell did you guess that?"

"Evie said you guys were friends."

"Yea," Jay sighed, relief flooding his system, and shrugged. Thank all the gods for Evie and her sometimes gossipy ways. "Something like that."

"I hope you two worked it out."

"I still have a lot to make up for, but he's not angry with me anymore." Jay tapped his foot and glanced at the bedroom again. "If that's all, I should go now."

"I won't tell anyone I saw you."

Jay nodded and moved to leave the living room. He stopped in the doorway and glanced back at the couch.

"Thanks, Ben."

The king nodded and smiled at him. Jay returned it and slipped into the bedroom. He laid down on the edge, looking over his shoulder at his sleeping friends. Mal was hogging all the pillows, as usual. Not for the first time tonight, he wondered if he should tell them. He was sure they suspected there was something more going on with him and Harry, and in a way, there had been. They hadn't been anything more than friends before tonight, but Jay knew they'd always been far closer than most people. Even with the Isle's propensity towards disregarding personal space, most people didn't hook up with their friends. Actually, thinking back on it, the signs that he and Harry liked each other had been there all along. Not only had they been closer than most physically, they'd been closer emotionally. Harry was one of only three people who knew his full name. They knew things about each other that no one else did, and Jay had no idea how it had taken them this long to admit their feelings, but he was glad he didn't have to wait any longer.

It was decided. He would tell his friends... Soon. Soon was a good time. It wasn't like he could avoid it forever, especially if he was going to be sneaking out every night to see him. But everyone had been so stressed about being back on the Isle with no way off, and he didn't want to add to that. So yes, he would tell them soon. Not now, but soon.

With that decision made, Jay finally was able to fall asleep.


	5. Lonnie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating yesterday! Family stuff is happening, nothing too serious, but I completely forgot with everything going on. This chapter was rewritten so many times, and originally, there were no chapters from Lonnie's perspective, but then I started thinking about the whole situation from her view and this chapter was born. Hope y'all like it!
> 
> Warnings: None that I can think of
> 
> Comments and kudos are apprecitated!

Everyone had always referred to her as Li Lonnie, Mulan's daughter. It was natural, with Mulan being the more well known parent and Lonnie even being named after her. But she always thought it was wrong. She took after her father more, in her opinion.

Her whole childhood, she heard stories about the great general Li Shang, war hero and the best commander the army had ever seen. She had a little trouble connecting that image with the fun loving dad that broke within seconds when she gave him her best 'please let me have ice cream' eyes. That had changed one day when she was about 9, when someone broke into their house during family movie night. In less than a minute, he'd been up and pointing a sword at the intruder, Lonnie and her older brother shoved behind him for protection, demanding that they leave before he made them leave. Her whole opinion on him changed in that second, as she stood in the dark staring up at him with the sounds of the television still playing in the background. She wanted to be just like her father when she grew up.

As she sat on the roof of the loft, she wondered if he would be proud of her when she returned. Would he think she'd been brave, insisting on joining Jay and Carlos to rescue the king? Or would he be angry she took such a risk? After all, it had ended up with her stuck here on the Isle for what had almost been a week now. No one would say it, but she knew she wasn't the only one starting to worry about why Fairy Godmother hadn't even contacted them by now. Could her parents have just... forgotten about her?

No, she knew that wasn't the answer. She knew her parents loved her. She knew that they were probably doing all they could to get her back right now. But something about this place sucked the hope out of her. It could've been the constant storm clouds overhead, or the fact that the living conditions were astonishingly terrible, or the complete lack of positive emotions from most of the Isle's inhabitants. She was trying her hardest to stay hopeful, but it wasn't easy.

She understood now. Back when Mal, and Evie, and Carlos and Jay had arrived in Auradon, she couldn't figure out why they always seemed so closed off and abrasive. Even Evie, the kindest of the bunch, had moments where Lonnie just couldn't understand why Evie was acting that way. Now though, she got it. Sometimes it was just easier to throw on a leather jacket and glare at anyone who got in your way.

Lonnie had to admit, the fashion was way better on the Isle. Part of it was probably the fact that the Isle kids made their own clothes and didn't have to go through hundreds of stores just to find 3 overpriced skirts that weren't even exactly what you wanted. When she got back home, she was definitely keeping the leather look.

The sound of footsteps behind her drew Lonnie out of her thoughts and she looked over as Evie and Mal drew closer. The two girls sat down on either side of her, joining Lonnie in looking out over the city.

"Where are the boys?" Lonnie asked, wondering if Jay, Carlos, and Ben were still downstairs.

"Jay took off towards the docks about an hour ago," Evie said, sitting back on her elbows, "And Carlos and Ben are out getting food."

That was the thing Lonnie missed the most about Auradon. The food. As the days went on here, the food got steadily worse and worse. The VK's said that wasn't unusual, as all the good food tended to run out in the first week after the monthly shipment. Lonnie wasn't sure how she was going to survive if they were here until the last week of the cycle. It was already so terrible, she nearly got stomach cramps just thinking about it.

"When we get home," she said, giving a voice to her thoughts, "I'm going to eat so many salads and fruit bowls."

"Ew, salad," Mal said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't trust vegetables, they go bad too fast."

"Not if they're homegrown," Lonnie said with a sigh, remembering her grandmother's fresh cucumbers that could last for weeks after picked.

"You can grow vegetables?" Evie asked. Lonnie's eyes widened and she stared at her friend with shock.

"Yes!" How could Evie have not known that? "You take the seeds and plant them in the ground and it grows more of them."

"Wow." Evie smiled. "I think I'll grow vegetables when I get my own castle."

"I thought only plants and wild berries could grow," Mal muttered.

"How did you think vegetables and fruits were made?" Lonnie asked, looking between her friends incredulously.

"I don't know." Mal shrugged. "Magic?"

"Auradon doesn't really use magic though," Lonnie pointed out and Mal shrugged. 

"Yea, but we didn't really know that."

"Hey Mal," Evie said, sitting up. "Do you remember last month in Life Skills Without Magic when Miss Merryweather had us do that Sex Ed thing?"

"Oh gods, yes," Mal said, laughing and rolling her eyes. "When she told us that you can't have sex without protection or you'll get pregnant?"

"Yup!" Evie laughed. "That one I just couldn't believe. I thought Auradonians just used magic spells to not get pregnant."

"Hold on," Lonnie held up her hands. "You didn't know you have to use protection?"

"Nope," Mal said, popping the 'p'. "Auradon doesn't ship those condom things over here. Sex is kinda like Russian roulette here. You either get lucky or you don't. I nearly punched Ben the first time we talked about it and he said he wasn't a virgin. I just couldn't believe he'd taken that risk with Audrey of all people."

"That's... a lot to unpack," Lonnie said, shaking her head. "I'm not sure what to question first, the fact that Auradon doesn't provide safe sex methods to the Isle, or that people here don't have sex, or that Ben and Audrey did that. Wow."

"Oh people here have sex alright," Evie said with an amused look at Lonnie. "Auradon is really weird in thinking that only boys and girls can have sex together."

"I mean," Lonnie blushed and looked down, "Auradon doesn't think it's _only_ that, it's just that other...methods aren't really talked about."

"Mhmm, you got that right," Evie said. "In some ways Auradon is more progressive, in other ways, it isn't."

Lonnie definitely agreed with that. It had surprised her the other day, when Dizzie had so casually mentioned the possibility of Jay and Harry being more than friends. In Auradon, well, no one _hated_ her for liking both girls and boys, but there were little things, like how the locker room always seemed to clear out right when she arrived, or awkward pauses in conversations when she complimented a girl on her hair, or makeup, or clothes. She was also one of only a couple out queer kids at Auradon Prep, whereas Mal and Evie had seemed to imply just now that homosexual relationships were completely normal on the Isle. Plus, there was the question that had been bothering Lonnie for a while now, and this seemed like the perfect time to bring it up.

"So," Lonnie began, trying to think of the best way to phrase this, "You mentioned once that love doesn't really exist on the Isle. How do you guys have sex and make friends and all that without love?"

"It's complicated," Evie said with a sigh. "In a way, love does exist here, but that's not what it's called. Love is trust, companionship, claiming someone for your gang, letting them have the last biscuit before the shipment comes. It's one of those things that no one says out loud or even realizes what the emotion is, but it's there. Does that make sense?"

"I think so," Lonnie said, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. "Sounds like a hard way to go through life though. Never telling someone you love them, or even recognizing that you do."

"It's survival."

Lonnie hummed thoughtfully. She didn't think she would be able live her whole life like that if she had to. Love was essential. It was her mom making cookies after a nightmare, it was her dad dancing like a chicken in the living room to rock music with her, it was her brother sending her letters every week from college. She didn't know how someone could go their entire life without that.

"The Isle's a pretty shitty place, isn't it?" She said, studying the city outline. Buildings built with bricks and boards, cement the only thing holding the structures together in some places. "Fighting and starving and no love, joy, or any other emotion that could be exploited."

"Sometimes," Evie said. "And sometimes it isn't."

"The brightest night is in two days," Mal said quietly. "I've been keeping track."

"I think we all have." Evie's voice was even softer, a melancholy note in her voice. 

"What's the brightest night?" Lonnie asked, her brows furrowing with confusion. 

"Truce night," Mal sighed, sitting up a little straighter. "You know how the clouds affect the sunlight and moonlight coming through, right? It's much darker here than it is in Auradon."

Lonnie nodded. She'd noticed that immediately when they arrived here to save Ben. Even at high noon, the daylight was muted, a softer gray palette. 

"Well, for some reason, once a year, the clouds don't affect the moonlight. It's probably magic, because the moon doesn't become visible, but it's as bright as if the clouds weren't there."

"That does sound like magic," Lonnie agreed. 

"On that night," Evie picked up for Mal, her voice wistful, "All the kids on the Isle get together on the beach and have fun and party all night. Fighting is banned and no one cares who you hang out with and what you do. It's almost an unspoken rule that what happens on truce night stays on truce night. Some people ignore it, of course, but most people respect it."

"It sounds nice," Lonnie said. A night where every broken, battered teenager on the Isle partied and got to be whoever, do whatever without judgement and fear of blackmail? It sounded almost unreal. 

"I'm almost glad we're back here for it," Mal confessed, sounding smaller than Lonnie had ever heard. "Logically I knew that it was coming up and I was making plans for us four to hang out in Auradon, but I don't think I was ready to handle the emotions that would have come with that."

"It's the only thing I regretted about being good," Evie agreed. "Not being here for truce night didn't even occur to me until later. I wasn't ready to miss it either."

"Well," Lonnie started, choosing her words carefully. This felt like a touchy subject. "You're back now. And I would love to go to this truce night thing."

"You would?" Mal looked over at her, and Lonnie nodded. She had to admit, she was a little unsure how these kids that fought for survival every day of their lives would be able to just... get together and not fight, but she was excited to see it.

"Of course."

Mal smiled. Evie leaned in and rested her head on Lonnie's shoulder. 

"I'm glad you came with Carlos and Jay to rescue Ben," Evie said softly. "Now Auradon gets to see the Isle for what it is."

What was the Isle? Lonnie rested her chin on her knee and drew her arms tighter around her legs. That was a very good question, one that she didn't yet have an answer to.


	6. Ben

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm setting an alarm on my phone to remember to update this on time. 
> 
> So! This chapter is actually what inspired the fic in the first place. I had this vision of Ben getting to see things about the Isle that no one from Auradon had before and the rest of the fic sort of just grew around it. This is also the last chapter before the plot really kicks up. Y'all are in for a surprise next chapter :)
> 
> Warnings: Underage drinking, more of the Isle being a shitty place to grow up
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!

_Eh-eh-oh-wayyy_

A haunting call echoed through the streets. Ben sat up a little straighter. They were on the roof, waiting for the sun to go down. There was a sense of anticipation and excitement in the air, digging into his bones with a restless energy. Mal stood up and cupped her hands, returning the call.

_Eh-eh-oh-wayyy_

More people answered, the sound bouncing across rooftops and winding down the streets. In the distance, a light flared up on the beach.

"Let's go," Mal said. Ben followed her and the others as they made their way through the city to the beach. Daylight was almost gone, the sunset blocked by the clouds around the Isle. Their group was the first to arrive at the beach, dropping onto the sand in the darkness. Other kids arrived within minutes of them, everyone converging and mixing as they made their way towards the bonfire on the shore.

Ben was wary, spotting the familiar faces of kids that just days ago they'd been fighting against. Mal seemed perfectly at ease though, so he shook off the nerves and tried to relax. Evie, Carlos, and Jay had already disappeared into the crowd, but Lonnie hadn't left Ben's side since they arrived at the beach.

"It's so weird," she muttered as they followed Mal.

"What is?" He whispered back.

"Everything." Her eyes were darting everywhere. "It's just so...different."

"Yea," Ben thought back on everything he'd seen since they arrived at the Isle a week ago. "It really is."

They were nearly at the bonfire now, its high flames illuminating the beach. The kids started to break apart into small groups, some staying close to the fire, others continuing down the beach into the dark, and some even going down to swim in the ocean. The barrier was only a hundred feet out or so, but the tides were in tonight.

"Welcome!" Harry Hook appeared at Ben's side, startling the living hell out of him. "You two are tha' first ever Auradon people ta see truce night."

"Yup," Ben said, nodding, and trying to get his heart rate down again. Harry's slightly insane grin widened.

"Good luck," He said, in a voice that very much so did not sound like he was wishing them luck. Ben nodded again. Lonnie had tensed up at his side.

"Harry, don't bug them," Mal said, walking up with two bottles of something. "Here, take this and go. Jay's over there."

She tossed one of them at him and he caught it, giving a sarcastic bow and turning away.

"Sorry about him," Mal said, popping the top off her bottle and taking a sip. "He gets on everyone's nerves at this."

"Yea," Ben said, eyeing Harry's retreating figure. "Isn't he always like that though?"

Mal shrugged and took a larger drink, wincing a little as she did. Ben glanced around, wondering what there was to do here. Evie waved at him, standing half naked in the waves. Ben blushed, looking away. Of course they swam in their underwear or less here; swimsuit material wasn't exactly easy to buy even in Auradon.

For a brief second, he wondered what Mal would look like out there too, the thin fabric of her undershirt plastered to her skin, little drops of water racing each other down her neck, her back, her legs. And then he shut _that_ thought down, the blush deepening. They weren't together anymore, he reminded himself. She'd broken up with him. Mal was off-limits for thoughts like that. 

"If you guys want something to drink," Mal said, Ben steadfastly not looking in her direction, dragging a nearby log closer and sitting down on it, "There's Hook's rum, which is pretty good, Scotty's scotch, which is not, and the Magical Mystery flavor that Diego makes, plus whatever else people brought for themselves."

"Alcohol? Really?" Ben's eyebrows raised and he turned to Mal, automatically ready to parrot Fairy Godmother's lecture about the dangers of underage drinking.

"Hey," Mal gave him a sharp look. "Auradon might have a law about kids drinking alcohol but the Isle doesn't."

"Fair point," Ben sighed. It wasn't even like he'd had much experience with it, except for a few parties and official events in Auradon. And who was he to judge if that was different here? The Isle sucked, of course the kids turned to alcohol. 

Lonnie sat down next to Mal and pointed at her drink.

"Can I try?"

"Sure." Mal handed her the bottle and Lonnie took it, taking a cautious sip. Pretty much the second the rim touched her lips, she was gagging and coughing as she spat it out. Mal snickered and took it back.

"Oh gods, what's in that?" Lonnie asked, wiping her mouth.

"This time?" Mal took a drink and hummed thoughtfully. "My guess is everclear, Harry's homemade rum, some sort of fruit and whatever else he found to help the flavor."

"It's an aquired taste," Carlos said, appearing behind Mal. "Diego makes it different every time."

"I think I'm going to pass on that tonight," Ben said, holding up his hands. He was curious now, but given Lonnie's reaction, he didn't want to try what Mal had. "Is there any plain water or something?"

"There's a freshwater stream not too far away," Carlos said, pointing down the beach. "You have to be careful to not get sand and tadpoles in it though."

"You know, I think I'll pass on that too." He'd find something to drink eventually. 

"Suit yourself." Carlos shrugged. "Oh and Mal, Uma wants to talk to you. Territory negotiations."

"Ugh, fine," Mal said, standing up. "Take me to her."

"This way." Carlos took off, Mal close behind. Ben watched them leave, nervous at the idea of Mal and Uma being in close proximity. He knew fighting was supposedly not allowed tonight, but he wouldn't put it past either of them to break that rule. Mal had run away from Auradon because of stress for the gods' sake. Uma had kidnapped him instead of trying to be diplomatic. He almost followed, but right now, the only thing worse than the two of them in one area would be the two of them in one area with him trying to get in the middle of things.

"Well," Ben said, clearing his throat and turning to Lonnie. He would trust Carlos to keep the two from pulling deadly weapons on each other. "Got any ideas on what to do?"

"Nope," Lonnie said, looking around. "It's not exactly like we're at a gala with our parents. This is much more...chaotic."

"You're right about that," Ben said, sitting down next to her. It definitely wasn't like the gatherings he usually went to. Those were more put together, with specified activities like croquet and tennis. Even at the somewhat secret parties thrown by teenagers, there were things like karaoke and table tennis. Here, it looked like people just talked and drank and had fun doing whatever they wanted. 

"We could go join Jay," Lonnie said, pointing towards the bonfire. Their friend was sitting with a group of pirates, one arm slung around Harry Hook's shoulders and the other gesturing wildly as he told some story.

"Or maybe try talking to people we don't know?" Ben suggested. He and Lonnie looked at each other silently for a moment and then nodded.

"Jay it is," they said simultaneously.

Ben was immensely grateful that Carlos and Jay had let Lonnie come with them to rescue him. He felt bad about her being trapped on the Isle too, but at least he wasn't alone in being an Auradon kid stuck here. This must've been how Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay had felt when they arrived in Auradon all those months ago. Completely cut off from everything they knew, having to learn how to navigate an entirely different world with only each other. When he got home, Ben had a lot of planning to do. He wanted to bring more villains' kids over, but he didn't want to force them into an entirely new culture with no help. There would have to be adjustment programs, new classes to cover what wasn't taught on the Isle, a change in how the dormitories were structured so they wouldn't be split up. It was going to be a lot of hard work but every minute and penny spent would be worth it.

"Hey guys!" Jay waved as they drew closer to the group next to the bonfire. "This is the crew of the Lost Revenge. Gil, Jonas, Desiree, and Bonny."

The kids Jay pointed at waved, far more friendly than the last time they saw them.

"Hey, you look familiar," Lonnie said, sitting down next to Desiree.

"You took my sword when rescuing your king," Desiree said stiffly, then relaxed and grinned. "You're one of the best fighters I've ever seen."

"Thanks!" Lonnie smiled back, also relaxing a little. "You fought pretty well too."

"No drink, Ben?" Jay asked as he sat down. Ben shook his head, feeling a little awkward around the pirates.

"Come on princey," Harry said, leaning across Jay and shoving a bottle at him. "Live a little!

"I'm the king now," Ben muttered, taking the bottle and looking disdainfully at it. "Is this the same stuff Mal had?"

"Nah, tha's ma own brew o' rum, not tha' instant blackout stuff Diego makes," Harry said, looking a little insulted.

"Cheers," Ben said, grimacing a little. His only time trying alcohol had been last year when the tourney team had a victory party and someone had snuck a bottle of champagne past Fairy Godmother. It hadn't tasted particularly bad, but Ben still didn't like it. Maybe rum would be different? He _was_ curious and after all, when in Rome... Ben slowly lifted it up and took a tiny sip.

"What do you think?" Jay asked, amusement flooding his voice as Ben scrunched his nose and repeatedly licked his lips.

"Better than champagne, but still really bitter." Ben was pretty sure his mother would ground him for eternity if she ever heard that he drank rum with the pirates on the Isle. Still, he took another sip, finding it much easier to bear the taste the second time around. "It's drinkable."

"I bet Auradon has loads better alcohol, right?" One of the pirates (Jonas, wasn't it?) said. Ben shrugged.

"Minors aren't allowed to drink in Auradon," Lonnie said. "Sometimes we sneak wine and stuff on campus but it's not something that happens often."

"Auradon sounds boring," Desiree said. "Jay, is Auradon boring?"

"Yea," Jay said, grinning. Ben lightly hit the side of his arm. "Hey dude, I'm sorry, it kinda is."

"You're an ass," Ben said, taking another drink. A sort of warmth slowly started to spread through his veins, strengthening with each sip. Jay gave a surprised laugh.

"Harry, maybe the rum was a bad idea. I've never heard Ben swear before."

"Jus' means he's learnin' ta live," Harry said, looking him over. "An' tha' he's a lightweight."

"Here, let me try," Lonnie said, holding a hand out for the bottle. Ben passed it across the circle to her.

"Wait," Gil spoke up, frowning. "Why can't kids in Auradon drink?"

"Brain development, or something," Lonnie said, taking a drink. "Wow, that's actually good."

"Thank ya very much," Harry said, raising his own bottle. "Ta my amazin' brewin' skills!"

"Okay, that's enough for you," Jay said, grabbing the bottle away from the pirate. "That's your third one already, no more for a while."

"Ugh, Auradon wore off on ya," Harry grumbled. Ben chuckled at that. He actually felt relaxed right now. It was nice, sitting on the beach, with no fear of fighting breaking out. When Mal had explained to him and Lonnie that any fighting was outright banned on truce night, he couldn't believe how that was possible. How could these kids that hated each other promise to not fight for an entire night? Now though, he understood that they needed it. They were just kids, teenagers. Even if was just for one night a year, they could relax and come together, without fear or anger.

Lonnie and Desiree were discussing different swordfighting techniques. Harry was whispering something that had Jay laughing and shaking his head. Gil, Jonas, and Bonny were playing some game that involved flipping a rock perfectly colored white on one side and black on the other. When it landed on the white side, they all took a drink. If it landed on black, only the person who flipped it drank. Ben was perfectly content to just sit back and watch everyone interacting.

"Having fun?"

"Evie!" Ben turned around, seeing the blue haired girl walk up behind him. Her hair was dripping, her makeup half washed off, and her damp clothes stuck to her body in weird places. "Don't do that, you scared me!"

"Sorry," Evie said, smiling as she sat down next to him and grabbed his drink. "You looked lonely."

"I'm not," Ben protested. "Just... thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing in particular. Everything. I don't know."

"Ah, one of those nights." Evie stared out over the ocean. "I'm here if you need to talk."

"It's just," Ben sighed. "Auradon is so different from the Isle. I get it now, why Mal had such a hard time adjusting to life in Auradon. I pushed her too much, I think. I guess somewhere in my head, I hadn't thought about how we completely separated ourselves from this place. It makes sense that everything is different over here. I just saw you fitting in perfectly, and assumed the rest of you guys were doing fine too. I mean, Mal certainly seemed to be doing fine, but that wasn't the truth, was it? I'm the king, I should've known you guys wouldn't adjust to that change easily. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. And no." Evie sighed and handed the bottle of rum back to him. "I fit in so well at Auradon because of how my mom raised me. I didn't even go to school until I turned 13. She spent my entire childhood preparing me for a life of royalty, even if the Isle was anything but. So when we got to Auradon, it was easier for me to remember my lessons and fit in with all the other girls. And the guys, well, Jay was always good at adapting to change, and Carlos is smart enough to get by. And then Mal had her spellbook, which gave her the illusion of fitting in. It was hard but we managed."

"I feel bad about it. I should have asked more questions about this place."

"We wouldn't have told the truth." Ben looked up at Evie at that. She was still staring out across the ocean, her chin resting on her knees. "We knew we had it way worse here, even before we went to Auradon. We didn't want people asking too many questions. You coming here, that's when it started to change. When we started opening up more."

"You're right," Ben hummed as he thought back on it. "I don't think I really knew much about the Isle before we got trapped here. Just that it was where all the villains and their kids lived, and we sent monthly shipments. That's it."

The group around them had fallen silent, the pirates listening to their conversation.

"Auradon doesn't know what it's like here?" Bonny asked, tilting her head. "Well, that explains a lot."

"Huh?" Ben looked around. None of the Isle kids would meet his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We thought Auradon didn't care." Jay threw a stick into the fire. "We thought they knew about life here and just... didn't care."

"I-" Ben didn't know how to respond to that. He took another sip of his drink, swallowing hard as he contemplated Jay's words. "I had no idea."

"Yea. I know."

A solemn silence fell over the group for a moment until Harry leaned in and whispered something to Jay, prompting a faint blush to spread across his face.

"What?" Ben asked. Jay shook his head.

"Oh nothin'," Jay and Harry stood up. "See ya in about, oh, an hour? Don' have too much fun without me n' Jay."

They ran off, disappearing into the darkness.

"5 coins on Jay having a neck hickey when they come back," Bonny said, pulling out a handful of money once they were out of earshot.

"10 coins on Harry being the one with a hickey," Jonas said, adding his own to her pile.

"They're just friends," Evie mumbled, but didn't sound very convincing.

"But I saw them naked once," Gil said with a confused frown. Ben was pretty sure by now that Gil wasn't that bright. "Oh wait, Harry said I couldn't tell anyone that. You guys can't tell anyone."

"Knew it," Desiree mumbled. "My money's on Jay."

"Oh fine," Evie rolled her eyes and tossed her coins in. "I'm in on Jay too."

"I'm betting on Harry," Lonnie said and looked at Ben. "What about you?"

"I'm not-" Ben stopped, then sighed and took a deeper drink. He pulled out his wallet and threw down a couple coins. When on the Isle, do as the Isle kids do. "I guess I'll bet on Harry too."

"Gil?" They all looked over at the boy, who thought for a moment.

"5 coins that neither of them will have hickies."

"Alright, all bets are placed," Desiree said, pulling out a small pad of paper from her pocket and scribbling it down. She collected the pile of coins in a bag and hung it from her waist. "Winner gets the pot."

Ben was a little grateful as the conversation moved on. He'd been completely lost when Jay said they thought Auradon knew and didn't care. If Auradon had known about conditions on the Isle, things would've been different years ago. Of course that brought up the question of why Auradon didn't know more about the Isle... Had his parents really never once checked up on the Isle? Ben wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Oh! I brought my guitar," Gil said, startling Ben out of his thoughts. The group cheered as the boy lifted up the old, beaten up instrument that had been sitting behind him. Desiree pulled out a cracked wooden flute and Bonny retrieved a nearby set of homemade hand drums.

"What song?" Desiree asked. Gil shrugged as he tuned the guitar.

"Well, we've got Auradon kids here tonight," Bonny said, glancing at Ben and Lonnie. "Evie do you still remember the words to Catapult Bay?"

"Of course I do!" Evie glared at Bonny. "I'll know the words of Catapult Bay until my death, and sing them from the grave at my funeral."

"Good," Bonny said, tapping out a simple beat on the drum set. "Desiree, let Gil have the end this time."

"Got it."

"Everyone ready?"

A chorus of yes's answered. Ben sat back, curious about music on the Isle. Mal and the others had never mentioned what kind of music they listened to here, and had definitely never mentioned that they had instruments they played.

Bonny started, beating out complex and energetic rhythm, with Desiree joining in just seconds later. The sounds blended together perfectly. Gil strummed a simple tune a moment later, which was apparently Evie's cue to begin singing.

"Long ago, there was a land, it's so far away," she sang as she stood up. Ben suddenly realized he'd never heard Evie sing before, and her voice was, quite honestly, beautiful. "The ship it sailed, and off they walked, into Catapult Bay."

Jonas stood up too and began to dance, kicking up sand as he followed the beat.

"Eh-eh-oh-way, eh-eh-oh-way, and off they walked, into Catapult Bay," Evie grabbed Lonnie's hands, pulling her up and into a spinning dance move. People around them on the beach began to join in, clapping and dancing along. Gil stood up too, his rhythm on the guitar picking up pace, followed by Desiree as she played on the flute.

"The men they stared, their mouths agape, for here was a sight so strange," Evie gestured at Ben to stand up too, and he did, awkwardly trying to copy her complex foot movements.

"A selkie town, their coats around, a place of certain change," Mal joined Evie in singing, walking out of the slowly growing crowd. Ben's heart sped up at the sound of Mal singing. Her voice was _beautiful._

"Eh-eh-oh-ange, eh-eh-oh-ange, their coats around, a place of certain change." More people joined in on that line, everyone falling silent at the end as Gil and Desiree began to play faster, circling each other, locked in a staring contest, until they finally reached a crescendo and fell silent, Bonny taking over solely on the drums.

"A battle fought, lost and won, for the hearts of men." Uma emerged, sending a wink at Evie, who rolled her eyes and let the pirate sing.

"The sailors left, down 20 men, never to return again," All three girls sang, coming together in the middle of the circle.

"Eh-eh-oh-when, eh-eh-oh-when, down 20 men, never to return again." Ben joined in with the rest of the crowd, having figured out the pattern of the lyrics at this point. Desiree stepped back as Bonny hit the final beat on the drum, letting Gil take the center-stage. Ben had to admit, Gil could play the guitar really, really well. People clapped and danced along as Gil played his solo, the excitement growing and growing, until it stopped, cutting off as Gil reached the end. Evie stepped forward, her head held high as she slowly sang the last line.

"Eh-eh-oh-when, eh-eh-oh-when, never to return again."

The crowd erupted with cheers and hollers, and demands for more music.

The revelry continued long into the early hours of the morning, some people bringing out their own instruments, others picking up what was nearby and making do. Ben found himself caught up in the excitement and fun, almost forgetting that he was stuck on the Isle for an indefinite amount of time. Jay and Harry returned, and although Gil won the bet that neither of them would have visible hickies, Ben saw them dancing together later in a way that one just wouldn't with a friend. (Could it even be considered dancing if it just looked like clothed upright sex?)

As the sun rose, people began to leave, returning to their parts of the Isle. The bonfire was put out, as the sea beyond the clouds turned yellow in the daylight, then blue by the time Ben and his friends left. They made their way back to the loft in the streets, everyone too tired to risk climbing and jumping across rooftops. Ben was ready to sleep until noon for the first time ever in his life, wondering if he would be able to make it to school on only 5 hours of sleep.

That was the first night that he and Lonnie crashed in the bedroom with Mal and the others, too tired to set up their beds in the living room.

And even though Mal had ended their relationship, Ben registered on some level of his half conscious brain that she'd curled up against his side.

He woke up that day with a smile on his face and hope in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note, the song that Evie, Mal, and Uma sing was written by me. It was originally going to be Warriors by Imagine Dragons but then I wanted to make my own little song and so I did. I might put a link in so y'all can hear it, if I can convince my super talented friend to sing it because my singing is atrocious. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope y'all have a great day!


	7. Fairy Godmother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot's kicking in now. This chapter is slightly shorter, but I hope y'all like it!
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of underage drinking
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!

Fairy Godmother was scared. It wasn't a feeling she was used to. She was used to worrying, even being a little anxious over things, but this feeling of pure terror wasn't something she felt often. And when she did feel it, it usually meant things were going very very wrong.

King Ben was stuck on the Isle. King Ben, and the future Lady Mal, and their friends were on the Isle and the barrier wouldn't open, and she was _scared._ His note had said they were going to retrieve the girl and that he would be back by Cotillion that night. That had been days ago. Clearly, something had gone wrong on their end, and Fairy Godmother couldn't even open the barrier enough to get a text to them.

It was puzzling, to say the least. By all logic, the barrier should be opening enough for her to slip through when she waved her wand. But the faint rippling of green magic in front of her stayed steadfast shut.

Fairy Godmother gave the barrier one last tap before turning away, feeling defeated. She pulled her shawl closer around her, shivering in the night air. She wouldn't dare come here in the daylight when islanders might see her, though from the looks of it, the Isle was just as active at night as it was during the day. With a flap of her wings, Fairy Godmother began to fly away.

And then.

Something caught the corner of her eye.

A light on the beach, around the bend of the island but visible as she rose high into the air. A bonfire, illuminating the crowds around it. At a second glance, she realized it was mostly teenagers and kids, with a few young adults scattered throughout. Perhaps the king and his friends were there...? But no, this looked more like a party and the king would never be seen at an Isle revel like that. Except... She couldn't be sure of that. Ben had always been fascinated with the Isle, asking thousands of questions as a kid about the history of the place. The obsession had died down a little as he grew up, but she'd seen the same old light shine in his eyes when the children of the villains had first arrived in Auradon. So no, she couldn't be sure Ben wasn't at this party. She needed to get a closer look.

Fairy Godmother waved her wand, the dust of an invisibility spell settling on her shoulders. She'd been the first to suggest the disuse of magic in Auradon, because it made things like this so easy. It was dangerous to have such power at your fingertips.

She descended, hovering just above the sea with her nose practically pressed against the barrier. It was darker on this end of the beach, the bonfire hundreds of feet away. She squinted, trying to distinguish the features of the people in the shadows. With a bit of a frustrated sigh at using this much magic in one night, she waved her wand again and her eyes suddenly adjusted to see perfectly in the dark. That was much better. Now she could see the faces of the people roaming the beach clearly. She scanned the area, and was about to move on for a closer look at the bonfire when a flash of long hair caught her eye.

It was Jay, running down the beach, hand in hand with someone. No, not just anyone. A boy. A boy she didn't recognize, but had a strong suspicion about, if the hook in the pirate's hand said anything about his heritage. The son of Captain Hook was laughing as Jay pulled him along, and the Arabian turned to flash him a grin. They stopped, laughing and tripping over each other deep in the shadows. If Fairy Godmother hadn't used a night vision spell, she never would've been able to see them.

The two fell back into the sand, and Fairy Godmother's eyes widened as she watched their lips meet, Jay's legs coming up to wrap around the other boy's waist. Stunned, she looked away, giving them their privacy. She had to admit, she was wary of the fact that Jay appeared to have ties to the Isle. Especially such strong ties. The villain kids may have said that love doesn't exist on the Isle, but there was no other word to describe the way the pirate had caressed Jay's face with such a gentle touch. She would have to speak with Jay when the kids returned to Auradon.

Seeing Jay had given her hope though, that the other trapped kids were at this party and she moved on, searching the beach with eagle eyes. As she neared the bonfire, a group of kids caught her eye. They were sitting in a circle, talking and laughing. Lonnie was the first one she saw, though Evie's bright blue hair was the most recognizable. And the boy sitting next to her...

Why!

That was Ben!

That was Auradon's king!

Wearing leather.

While hanging out with pirates.

And drinking.

And gambling from the looks of it.

Well, perhaps she was misreading the situation. Leather seemed to be the fashion on the Isle, strange as that may be, and pirates weren't always bad influences. Perhaps it was just soda or juice in the bottle that the (underage) king was drinking from. And the pile of coins that a young girl was scooping up, well, she didn't have a good excuse for that, but surely he had a reason for placing a money bet on something?

Before she could spend too long reevaluating whether it was a good decision to let a 16 year old lead the country, one of the pirates was moving, pulling out a guitar. Two of the other kids pulled out instruments and soon enough, the very muffled sound of music was floating through the barrier. Fairy Godmother caught sight of Mal and Carlos a moment later, the two emerging from the crowd with a girl who had striking turquoise braids. Well, that was all the kids present and accounted for.

Fairy Godmother watched for another moment before turning to leave. There wasn't anything she could do right now. Even if she could open the barrier, there was an entire beach of other villain kids all around who would almost surely demand freedom the second the barrier was open. She knew Ben had been thinking about starting a program to bring more kids over from the Isle and she supported that, but as a slow progressing movement of only a few kids at once so they could adjust. Baby steps, you know? Opening the barrier in front of what looked to be almost 70 people was not baby steps.

There was also the small matter of the barrier flat out refusing to open. Fairy Godmother was very concerned about that. She was the most powerful being in Auradon, she should've been able to open a small hole in the barrier easy-peasy. Not being able to bring down the barrier after nearly a week of constantly trying? That scared her.

Auradon Prep was quiet when she landed, only the sound of crickets chirping as she walked up the steps to the main building. Fairy Godmother got the feeling she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight again as she entered and made her way to the library. She waved her wand to start a pot of coffee, figuring she'd already done enough minor magic tonight that one more spell wouldn't make a difference. She took a deep breath, the familiar smell of old wooden bookshelves and the sharp scent of cold rising from the stone floor all around. There were many long hours of research ahead of her.

Something was very wrong. And she needed to fix it.


	8. Mal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit more of a filler chapter, I realized I needed to fix things before Ben and Mal before I could continue. It does leave off on a nice little cliffhanger, much like the next few chapters :) and I hope you all like it. 
> 
> Warnings: A bit of heavy making out, if you don't want to read it skip from: 
> 
> _She pulled him back in for another kiss, deeper this time, pressing him back against the cupboards._
> 
> to 
> 
> _"Shh, shh," Mal said, raising a finger to quiet him and laughing. She jumped back, landing on the floor and freeing Ben from his spot trapped against the counter. "I'm just teasing. Of course I wouldn't."_

This was hell. It had to be. Somewhere along the way, she'd died and was now in hell. What other explanation could there be?

She'd run away from Auradon, prompting her friends to come after her, resulting in Ben being captured and needing to be rescued. The second he was safely away from Uma, they discovered their way off the Isle was gone. It had been an entire week since then, and Mal was desperately hoping this was all a bad dream. It was one thing for her to return to the Isle on her own. It was a completely different thing for her to get her friends trapped there with her. She felt, to put it lightly, like shit. She was supposed to be their leader, their protector, and instead she'd run away and gotten them all stuck in the one place they'd never wanted to be in again.

The longer they were there, the more she realized she actually missed Auradon. Yea there were the annoying things like reporters, and incredibly stressful things like Cotillion, but there were also the good things like strawberries and Ben. Gods, Ben. She'd really fucked up that one, hadn't she?

Ben seemed different nowadays. He was quieter, and his questions about how the Isle worked were less frequent. He'd given her space when she asked for it, and although he'd still looked uncomfortable at school earlier today, he had seemed pretty relaxed the night before at the bonfire. It was crazy how much could change in a week. Mal knew he was losing hope of rescue. He was doing his best to learn the ways of the Isle, not just because he found it interesting but because he was preparing himself to stay there permanently.

Mal was, quite honestly, terrified of that option. Not just for Ben but for everyone. Carlos had stood up to Cruella and survived, but Evie's mother and Jafar had been suspiciously absent. Mal was certain news had gotten back to them about their presence on the Isle, and it made her worry about what they could be planning with the radio silence. If they were stuck back here permanently, well, something was bound to happen sooner or later. Something big.

And back on the subject of Ben, if they were stuck here permanently, she would need to talk to him soon. She couldn't continue to avoid the conversation they needed to have anymore.

Mal found Ben in the kitchen. He was sorting through the cupboards, each one more barren than a desert.

"Hey," she said quietly. It sounded like a good conversation starter.

"Hey," Ben said, shutting the doors and turning to face her. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry." It wasn't what she'd been planning to say, but it seemed to fit. Apologizes were extremely rare on the Isle, but situations like these were an exception. "I'm sorry about everything."

Ben looked at her, in that way he does when he's thinking hard about something. She waited, preparing herself for any manner of response. Ben silently gestured towards the table and she sat down across from him, folding her hands in front of her.

"Mal, I'm not upset with you."

There was a surprise. Mal had been sure he was angry at her, but apparently not.

"I was at first, but as we spent more time here, I started to understand. So many things are different here compared to Auradon. It's not just the food and fashion. It's the way you walk and talk and think. I was putting you under way too much pressure to be someone you're not and I didn't even see that. I'm the one who should be sorry."

Mal's throat constricted at that and her vision went blurry. To hear Ben apologizing when she was the one who ran away and got them into this stupid mess...

"Ben please," she said, blinking away the tears. "You're under a lot of stress too, as the king. I don't blame you for not noticing. I was purposefully hiding it and I just let it build up until I couldn't stand it anymore, and then I blew up and ran away. It was stupid and now we're stuck in this mess, and _I'm_ sorry."

"Mal," Ben reached out and grabbed one of her hands. "You were my girlfriend. I should've known you well enough to know something was up, but I didn't, because I wasn't trying hard enough. We can go in circles all day about who was really at fault here, but the fact remains that I wasn't accepting you for who you are and that wasn't okay of me. If being here on the Isle was what I needed to see that, then I don't regret a single second here."

Mal couldn't believe it. How had she ended up with someone like Ben? All her life, the only thing she'd heard from her mother was how she was a disappointment, she would never be as evil as the great Maleficent, she didn't deserve her life because who she was wasn't enough. And here was Ben, _apologizing_ for not letting her be herself.

"Do you remember our first date?" Mal said. "When you asked me if I loved you and I said I don't know what love feels like?"

Ben nodded. Mal tightened her grip around his hand and smiled.

"I think I do now," she said. "It's okay, if you don't want to give this another shot. I understand completely if I'm too much. But, if you want to, do you think we could maybe try again?"

"Mal, nothing would make me happier," Ben smiled back and stood up, pulling her around the table and into a kiss. For the first time in over a month, Mal relaxed, letting the tension flow out of her. Kissing Ben was like chocolate chip cookies, like the feel of sunshine, like everything in the world was right again.

"We do need to talk more," he said, breaking the kiss and resting their foreheads together, "About everything that happened. We can't just move on like everything is fine again, because that'll only cause more problems."

"Yea, yea," Mal said, lightly tracing the perfect shape of Ben's lips. "But that can happen later."

"No," Ben said, sighing. "Some of it can wait but not all."

"Okay," Mal said, rolling back to her heels and looking up at her boyfriend. (And oh, how amazing it was to use that word again.) "What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me something that I don't know about you. Anything."

"Okay um," Mal blinked, trying to think back on what Ben already knew about her. "I was friends with Jay before Carlos and Evie."

"Really?" Ben gave her a surprised look. 

"Yea," She nodded, smiling a little at her memories. "We didn't call it friendship, but I claimed him for my gang when we were 8. We were kinda jerks to Carlos until we were 13 and Evie started going to school."

"Evie didn't start school until she was 13?" Ben's eyes widened. 

"Nope," Mal still remembered the first day the girl had shown up at Dragon Hall perfectly. She'd been so angry at her over their mothers' old feud. Now, she wouldn't give Evie up for anything. "Her mom castle-schooled her, because my mom had banished them when we were 6."

"Why?" Ben asked. 

"Because Evie didn't invite me to her birthday party," Mal said matter-of-factly. She was long over it, having had many wonderful birthdays with the princess. Ben gave a startled laugh. 

"I could definitely see your mother doing that," Ben said, chuckling. Mal frowned and tapped his nose. 

"No laughing at my ridiculous childhood," She said, biting back a grin herself. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just picturing a little you complaining about not being invited to a birthday party of all things," Ben snorted. Mal rolled her eyes. 

She pulled him back in for another kiss, deeper this time, pressing him back against the cupboards.

"No laughing," she muttered against his lips and shockingly, he quieted down.

His arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her up. She shifted to accommodate the change, resting her knees on the countertop and cupping his face to keep their lips connected.

"Mal," Ben groaned a second later, pulling away, "This isn't talking."

"How about we make a deal? I'll tell you about myself, but each time I do, I get to do this," she said, nipping at his neck. Ben gasped and nodded frantically. 

"Oh gods, okay that works, I can work with that, just do that again."

"Hmm?" Mal teased him, licking and biting at the soft skin on his neck. "You like that?"

"Gods, Mal," Ben sounded breathless, his head hitting the cupboard behind them with a loud thunk when she sucked on the patch behind his ear. "Don't stop."

"Ah-ah," she whispered, "What's the magic word?"

"Please!" Ben moaned quietly. Mal obliged, leaving a trail of bruises down the column of his throat and leaving the king a whimpering mess before returning to ravage his lips.

A wolf whistle came from somewhere behind them and she blindly stuck her middle finger out in the air, Jay's smug laugh coming a second later.

"If you're going to fuck on the table," Evie's tired voice came a second later, "Please be mindful of the fact that we have to eat meals in here too."

Ben's face burned under her fingertips and she grinned against his mouth, completely ignoring their friends. His hands grasped the fabric of her shirt, bunching the hem and exposing the lower half of her back.

"Yea, we're not getting a response from them anytime soon," Carlos said, walking behind her to the fridge.

"What's everyone doing awake at this hour?" The sound of Lonnie yawning echoed through the kitchen. "Oh! They made up!"

"And made out," Evie muttered. "Can we all go back to bed now?"

The sounds of their friends leaving was like music to Mal's ears. As soon as it was quiet in the loft again, she pulled back, giving a flustered Ben a sly smirk.

"Does Evie really think we would...?" Ben whispered. "With everyone around...?"

"No, but I'm down if you're down," Mal said with a wink. Ben gave her an offended look, surprisingly composed for someone who'd been begging her for more just a few minutes ago.

"Mal!" He whisper-shouted, blushing a deeper shade of red. "You can't- we can't - people-"

"Shh, shh," Mal said, raising a finger to quiet him and laughing. She jumped back, landing on the floor and freeing Ben from his spot trapped against the counter. "I'm just teasing. Of course I wouldn't."

Ben nodded, the color fading a bit from his cheeks. Mal interlaced their fingers, a wonderful feeling to have back, and smiled.

"C'mon. Let's go to bed."

And for one glorious moment, everything felt alright again.


	9. Mal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens in this chapter, have fun :)
> 
> Warnings: As always, general warning for shitty Isle childhood stuff, other than that, I can't think of any for this chapter. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!

The halls of the school were dark. They always were at Dragon Hall, the broken light bulbs on the ceiling barely emitting any light. Nonetheless, Mal could easily see her friends as they walked. 

She was just considering what could be done about dinner tonight (the potatoes had run out - they might have to go without food until tomorrow when the market opened) when she noticed Carlos had fallen behind. She stopped the group, telling them to wait while she grabbed him. He was standing in front of the locked library doors, staring thoughtfully at them.

"What's up?" Mal asked as she approached.

"I can't believe it didn't occur to me earlier." Carlos turned towards her, an almost manic light starting to shine in his eyes. "The Athenaeum had all sorts of information in it. If we could just get inside..."

"Carlos, that's not going to be possible," Mal said, side-eyeing the spider guarding the entrance. Dr. Facilier had placed it there to keep students from entering the forbidden space when the school was established. The spider was nearly the size of a classroom desk by now, her web spanning from one side of the hallway to the other. "We only got in last time because Dr. F needed new tarot cards."

Years ago, before they were all really a tight knit group, they had to go on a quest to find Maleficent's scepter. To figure out where it was on the Isle, they'd bribed the headmaster for entrance to the library. As far as they knew, they were the first and last students to ever be allowed in the Athenaeum.

"Then we'll get him more," Carlos shrugged, excitement seeping into his voice. "Or something better. Mal, think about it. Dr. F has information on everything in there. Everything. We could figure out a way off the Isle."

Mal glanced behind her at the group, holding up a finger and hoping they'd hang back for a moment more.

"Okay, Carlos, I'll think about it. But we have to go now, or people will start to wonder why we're plotting to get into the Athenaeum."

Carlos finally stepped away, nodding. He was mumbling to himself as they rejoined the group and Mal felt a stab of pity hit her. Carlos and Evie had always been the least suited people to live on the Isle. Auradon had been a thousand blessings in one for the two of them. It was no wonder Carlos was feeling a little desperate after a week here.

"What's up?" Jay asked. Carlos filled him in as they left Dragon Hall. Mal sighed internally. Jay looked all for it, which meant they needed something to bribe Dr. Facilier with. She didn't want to fight both Carlos and Jay on this.

"What's something we can get for Dr. F?" She asked, stepping between them. Carlos gave her a surprised look.

"You're going to help us?"

"I still think it's not going to work but we can try."

Carlos beamed at her and that was almost worth agreeing to it. He was the youngest of the group and had been such a quiet, lonely kid when they all met that seeing him genuinely happy was worth almost anything.

"I know where we can get something," Jay said quietly. "But you're not going to like it."

"No," Mal said immediately. She could recognize that defeated look in his eyes anywhere, after years of seeing it every time he had to return home. "We'll go somewhere else."

"Mal, come on. Where else is there?"

He had a point there. Jafar's shop was the best place to find valuable trinkets, mainly thanks to Jay. It was also the worst possible place take the Arabian boy. 

"You're not coming with me." Mal said.

"If I can't go with you, you can't go. I'm the only one who can get past the locks to the house. That's where the the best stuff is."

"I hate this," Mal said. Jay was her second-in-command, her oldest friend, and she couldn't stand seeing him hurt. It was why she allowed him and Harry to be friends all those years ago. She hated the idea of him returning to the junk shop.

"I know."

"Jay, are you sure?" Evie asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes," Jay lifted his chin. "Jafar doesn't scare me. Not anymore."

Lies. She could see it clearly on his face.

"Jafar?" Ben spoke up, confusion filling his voice. Mal laced their fingers together and squeezed.

"We need to go to Jay's house to get something to trade Dr. F for access to the library," she explained gently, keeping an eye on Jay's reactions. His shoulders were stiff, resolute determination radiating off him.

"And Jafar... Ah I understand," Ben gave Jay a sympathetic look.

"It's fine, you all can stop worrying," Jay said, his voice hard. "It's not a big deal."

Except it was. Jafar had just barely tolerated his son's presence. To him, Jay was a nuisance, something only good for sending out to steal. Mal had patched Jay up too many times after Jafar taught him a 'lesson' about working harder to not worry now. 

They reached the loft, Lonnie throwing a rock at the sign to open the gate. Mal hung back on the stairwell as everyone entered, catching Jay's wrist as he passed by.

"Talk?" She nodded her head at the path up to the roof. Jay rolled his eyes but nodded. The roof was quieter and she needed to make sure her oldest friend was okay.

"Mal, seriously, I'm fine." Jay hauled himself up to the rooftop and sat at the edge. She joined him, dangling her legs in the open space.

"I know." She had to be careful, Jay could get defensive when talking about his father. "Do you miss the store?"

She knew the answer to that, of course, but it was a good way to start the conversation, get him open to talking. 

"What?" Jay shook his head. "Mal that's stupid. Of course I don't miss living there."

"Do you miss living on the Isle in general?"

Jay's answer wasn't immediate. That was a little concerning. The seconds ticked by and Mal waited.

"No," he said eventually. "I miss a couple specific things but in general, Auradon is better."

"I agree." Mal ran a hand through Jay's hair, her fingers catching on a few tangles. She'd come back to the subject of his silence later. That needed to be addressed, but it could wait. "I think Auradon is better too. Can I braid this?"

Jay shrugged and nodded, shifting to give her more access. She grinned and set to work, combing through his hair and separating the strands. There would be three sections, two on the side of his head and one on the top. The sides would be French rope braids, two strands that added hair continuously as you twisted them over each other, and the top would be a simple Dutch braid. The three would come together at the base of his skull to a regular three-strand braid. Hopefully the end result would look good.

"I don't miss it," Jay said after a moment. Mal was silent, waiting for him to continue as she braided the section on the left side of his head. "I really don't miss living in that place, but it was familiar, you know? Auradon was so weird when we got there that for a while I did miss it. I don't anymore, but being back here feels easy and familiar. Do you get what I mean?"

"Yea, I really do," Mal said, handing him the loose part at the end of the braid. "Hold this."

"Oh rope braid, nice."

"Mhm." Mal started working on the other side. "I get it. Running away, coming back here, it felt really easy because I was returning to the only place I'd known for sixteen years."

"I want to go with you to the shop," Jay said firmly. "I need to see it, just one last time."

"Alright." Mal quickly finished the braid on the right side, ending it at the top of his neck. She handed the loose part to him and shifted up to her knees, starting the Dutch braid with the top and final section of his hair. "I'll let you come with me. But you have to promise that if it's too much, you leave. Auradon's made me care about things like emotions and trauma."

"Yea, it's made me care too," Jay said with a laugh. "And I promise I'll leave if it's too much."

"Good."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Mal weaved the final few strands in the middle part and held it tight with one hand, taking back the other two parts that Jay was holding onto. She finished it off with a quick three-strand braid, pulling a hairtie off her wrist with her teeth.

"There ya go," she said, flipping the end over his shoulder. Jay ran a hand over the three braids, feeling where they merged into one.

"Awesome," Jay grinned, turning to face her. "Thanks Mal. For everything."

"Of course." She gestured to the stairwell below them. "Let's head inside, I'm sure everyone is miserable without us."

"Wait," Jay caught her hand as she moved to leave. "I have one more thing to say."

"Yes?" Mal turned back to him, one eyebrow raised. Jay looked almost nervous, which was a little concerning. Normally he could keep a poker face like no one else. 

"I'm kind of with someone..." Jay trailed off, looking away. Oh. Okay. Mal sat back down and leaned against her best friend. 

"Yes?" She asked quietly, trying to prompt him. She already knew what this was about, it was pretty obvious to anyone who had eyes, but he had to be the one to say it. 

"It's Harry." Jay said, picking up a leaf and twirling it. "We've got a thing."

"So you guys are—?"

"Together." Jay nodded. "Romantically."

Mal had to admit, she'd seen it coming. It wasn't like they were subtle. Sure, she didn't like the fact that he'd picked Harry Hook of all people, but she saw the way they looked at each other in the streets, heard Jay sneaking out every night, knew that sometimes you found love in unexpected places. 

"Okay," she said simply, and stood up. 

"Wait!" Jay sprung up and grabbed her arm. "You're not upset?"

"About what?" Mal stared at him as he stared back. "The liking guys part or the 'It's Harry' part? Because neither. You love who you love, I can't change that, and Auradon's stupid rules about guys being with guys and girls being with girls can go fuck off a cliff."

There was a couple seconds of silence until Jay rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug. 

"Mal, I love you so much right now."

"I love you too," Mal said, hugging him back. "Platonically, of course."

"Oh definitely." Jay released her and chuckled. "No offense, but you're not my type."

"Really? No shit, Sherlock." Mal laughed and hit his arm. "C'mon let's go back inside."

"One more thing," Jay said as they jumped down. "I'm going to tell everyone eventually but not right now. I had enough anxiety telling just you, I can't do that again with everyone."

"Okay," Mal shrugged and slung and arm over his shoulders. "Just don't hide forever, okay?"

"I promise, I won't," Jay said and Mal smiled. 

"Good. Let's go."

They entered the loft. Evie was instantly at Jay's side, running her hand over the braids and complimenting them. Jay proudly showed them off, even going so far as to tell Lonnie his braids looked better than hers. That instantly broke out in a wrestling match and Mal stepped back, leaning against the wall and laughing as she watched her friends roll around on the floor.

"He's okay?" Carlos asked, joining her and watching the spectacle.

"Yea," Mal said, grinning as Jay lost his balance and stumbled. "He'll be okay."

\---

The street was quiet as they approached.

Jafar's Emporium windows were dark, a faded sign on the door announcing that he was closed for the day.

"That's good," Jay said, pulling out a twisted piece of wire and inserting it into the lock. "It means he's out at the marketplace right now."

"Let's be quick then," Mal said, keeping a sharp eye out for people nearby. "We don't know when he'll be back."

"Got it!" The lock clicked and Jay smirked. "I knew I could still do it."

"Not doing much lock picking in Auradon?" Mal teased as she opened the door and brushed past him.

"Sadly, no." Jay entered, looking around. Mal stood back, waiting for his lead. She'd almost never actually been inside the shop before, surprisingly. Jay usually met her outside and her mother had preferred to do the shopping. "The only person in Auradon who was even vaguely interested in my skills was Aziz. Sultana Jasmine's kid."

"Ben and Lonnie don't count then?" Mal followed as Jay lead her to the back room of the store.

"Not anymore," Jay said. Mal followed his gaze to a pile of carpets beneath a shelf. If she remembered correctly, he'd once mentioned years ago that Jafar made him sleep in the shop under the shelves. This must've been that place. She stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. Jay startled, snapping out of whatever memories he'd been lost in. "What were we talking about? Oh yea, being a thief in Auradon."

"I appreciate your skills." Mal nudged him, hoping to move on before they wasted too much time lost in the past. "You can come pick my dorm room lock whenever you want."

"Thanks Mal." Jay continued, leading her through the backroom to a door. It had about 10 locks of all different kinds on it and Jay set to work, picking each one in seconds.

"Paranoid much?" Mal muttered as he opened the last one. Jay snorted.

"My dad is so paranoid that if you asked him to spell paranoid, he'd insist it was a distraction so you could steal from him."

The house Jafar lived in wasn't much bigger than the store, a few small rooms connected by doorways and absolutely drowning in small valuables. Mal thought he would make a great guest on that reality TV show Ben loved. Hoarders of Auradon, that was it.

"This way," Jay said, gesturing towards one of the doors. "I've only been in here a few times but I've seen what he keeps in here."

"What does he keep in there?" Mal asked as Jay crept over and began to pick the many locks guarding this door.

"His lamp," Jay said, throwing a grin at Mal over his shoulder. She froze on the spot. 

His...lamp?

Everyone knew Jafar's story, how he'd used the genie wishes to become a jinn. However, when all the villains had been rounded up and put on the Isle, Jafar had claimed that his lamp had been taken by the King and Queen of Auradon. She'd certainly never heard anything about it being locked away in his house.

"If his lamp is here," she said slowly, trying to make sense of the clashing facts in her head, "Then why was he always asking you to steal lamps?"

"His lamp has no magic," Jay said, finishing the locks. "He was hoping one of the lamps I brought back would."

"It's really here?" Mal asked as the door swung open. "It's seriously been here all along?"

"Don't go getting sticky fingers," Jay warned as they stepped into the room.

"I won't, I won't," Mal said, holding up her hands.

In the center of the room was a pedestal. Sticking out from the pedestal were thousands of short spikes. Above the pedestal hung an axe. And on the pedestal itself was a locked safe with three chains wrapped around it and a 100 pound weight on top.

"This is sure to be fun," Mal said, eyeing the area disdainfully. It was quite a lot of protection for one small piece of metal. One small, powerful, piece of metal. Okay, so maybe it did deserve that much security, but it was still annoying.

"These are actually simpler than they look," Jay said, kneeling as close to the safe as he could to examine the locks, glancing up at the axe every few seconds. "Can you get work on getting rid of that thing?"

"Sure thing." Mal eyed the axe. It was tied up with rope on a simple pulley and lever system. She traced the rope back to the safe, where it connected to the weight. If you moved the weight, the axe would drop. Clever. All it would take to disable it was untying the axe, but the spikes got in the way of that. "I need to stand on your shoulders."

Jay stayed kneeling while she climbed up, balancing herself carefully. He held onto her ankles as he stood, bringing her to the perfect height to untie the axe. The knot was complicated and it took her almost a full five minutes to free it, catching the axe before it could free fall. Jay lowered her back down to the floor.

"Hurry," Mal said, glancing behind her at the open door. Jafar could return at any moment. This was, without a doubt, the most dangerous thing she'd done in her life. Though there was that one time with the crocodiles... Okay, so it was _one_ of the most dangerous things she'd done in her life. 

Jay inched closer to the pedestal, carefully avoiding the spikes as he reached out to undo the locks. Mal holstered the axe in her belt and kept watch by the door.

"Got it!" Jay shouted a few moments later, the sounds of chains clattering as they fell away. "Now for the combination lock..."

"Birthday?" Mal suggested. Jay shook his head.

"Jafar doesn't remember my birthday. It's five letters. Maybe his name?"

Mal watched as he spun the lock and tried to open it.

"Okay, that wasn't it." Jay muttered, frowning at the lock. "Iago is four letters, Aladdin is more than five, and lamp is four letters. What's important to him that's five letters?"

"What if it's your name?" Mal asked.

"Jay only has three letters."

"I know. What if it's your full name?" Jay had only told her his full name once. He'd been blackout drunk, the aftermath of a fight with his father. Mal hadn't caught much of what he'd been saying, most of it a jumbled slurred mess, but she'd heard the name Jaeda repeatedly in his rant and put two and two together. Jay had told her the next morning to never bring it up again, and Mal respected that. After all, she could understand hating your full name.

"He wouldn't." Jay adamantly shook his head. "He knows how much I hate that name."

"Exactly." Mal shrugged. "Our parents were grade-A assholes. No one else knows your name and if he knows you hate it, he probably thinks you'd never think of it. It makes sense."

Jay hesitantly spun the lock, his face falling as it clicked into place with the final letter.

"What a dick," He muttered and opened the safe door. "Gives me a girl's name, then makes it the combo for his super secret safe. Fuck him."

Inside the safe was the lamp. It was simple, made of a smooth and shiny black metal. There was a triangle pattern etched on the lid, but that was the only embellishment. To be quite honest, it looked extremely plain for such a dramatic villain like Jafar.

"Are we sure we should give this to Dr. F?" Mal asked as Jay grabbed the lamp and shut the safe. She'd been expecting to get him a crystal ball or new Wi-Fi router. Not the freaking lamp of Jafar.

"No." Jay tucked the lamp into his shirt, making sure it was completely concealed, and lead her out through the house. "In fact, I think this is a terrible idea. But it'll get us access to anything we want in the Athenaeum."

"You've got a point there," Mal sighed as they entered the shop, making their way back to the front door. And he did. Anyone on the Isle would give anything for Jafar's lamp. It was like taking her mother's scepter, or the Evil Queen's mirror. Jafar was an A-list villain, and having his object of power in your control meant having him in your control.

A second later, she nearly walked into Jay's back. He'd stopped in his tracks right in front of her, and Mal almost yelled at him before a soft but deadly voice spoke.

"Jay. What are you doing here boy?"

Oh. _Fuck._

"Nothing, Dad."

Mal could see every muscle in Jay's body as the tensed one by one. She stood on tiptoe, looking over his shoulder at Jafar standing in the entrance to the shop.

"I'd heard rumors that you were back. I didn't expect you to return here though."

Jafar swept past them, Mal pressing against the shelf to avoid his sweeping robes.

"Forgot my pillow," Jay said, glaring after his dad.

"Still such a smartass." Jafar tutted and shook his head. "That mouth will get you nowhere good, street rat."

"Didn't come back for advice, Dad. See ya around."

Jay waved and bowed, the movement dripping with sarcasm. He grabbed Mal's wrist, pulling her towards the door.

"Jay!"

Jay froze. Mal froze. The fly on the wall froze. Jafar, though he'd been trapped on this slumhole island for 20 years, still could command respect as well as the day he'd tried to take over Agrabah. 

"You wouldn't steal from your father now, would you? You know what would happen if you did."

Mal remembered years ago, when Jay told her the first rule of thievery. Act confident no matter what.

"From you? Never." Jay's voice was steady. Too steady.

Jafar studied them for a moment, then grunted and nodded. It took every ounce of strength Mal had to not audibly sigh with relief.

"Bye, Dad."

They left the store, the door shutting with the faintest thud behind them. Mal set off down the street, Jay at her side. She felt shaky, almost like she did when Ben did something incredibly romantic, except that was a good feeling. This was a horrible feeling, pricks of cold running through her veins and her stomach shrinking to the size of a thimble.

The corner was near, just a few more paces ahead, when a bloodcurdling shriek rang through the air.

And though she didn't remember much about those next few minutes, Mal would never be able to forget the sound of Jay's voice as he warned her to _run._


	10. Maleficent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy :)
> 
> Warnings: None that I can think of for this chapter

The life of a lizard is an incredibly boring one. Some senses are sharper, others are duller, and there's an insistent craving for crickets that was going to drive her insane one of these days.

Nevertheless, Maleficent made do.

She had a pretty rock in her cage that she liked to sit on, looking out over the great expanse of Mal and Evie's dorm room. Her cave was nice and dark, a great place to hide away when those terribly annoying pests known as teenagers showed up. She was fed once a day, and she loved it when Mal gave her mealworms as well as crickets. She could hiss at whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and although she couldn't use magic, she could listen.

This came in handy when Mal returned to the Isle.

Unfortunately, crossing the barrier hadn't undone the magic that had turned her into a bearded dragon. She'd spent most of the ride bouncing around in Mal's backpack and had felt the shift when they crossed over, but had still remained a lizard.

No big deal. Her plan would work, human form or not.

Maleficent nearly shrieked with glee when Mal released her, saying something about how she wasn't a danger here and should be allowed to run free.

That had been her daughter's first mistake.

She found a nice cozy spot in the wall in Jafar's shop, the best place to hear gossip, and _listened._

And oh, what interesting things she heard.

King Ben was on the Isle.

The sea brat had kidnapped the king.

Her daughter's little miscreant band of misfits had rescued the king.

More importantly, the aforementioned band of miscreant misfits and the king were now trapped on the Isle.

They were here to stay.

They were searching for a way out.

They refused to leave.

They wanted to leave.

Days passed and her treasure trove of information grew.

They had attended school.

Cruella's son had sought her out and she was simply devastated at how Auradon had corrupted her son.

Jafar's son was still hanging around with the son of Captain Hook.

Mulan's daughter was on the Isle and could fight like no other.

They had attended the children of the Isle's stupid little truce night.

Yes, these were all fine additions to her hoard indeed. But the finest bit of treasure, the most valuable piece for her hoard, her daughter's second mistake, was what she witnessed in the shop one sunny afternoon.

The son of Jafar and her daughter, stealing Jafar's lamp in exchange for entrance to the Athenaeum of Evil at Dragon Hall.

Now that was something she could use.

Maleficent scurried out behind them, leaving the shop for the first time in a week.

No one noticed her as she skittered through the streets, heading straight to the castle at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Queen Grimhilde certainly didn't. Maleficent was able to slip past her all the way to the dressing room, which wasn't much of a feat as the queen was too glued to her mirrors to notice anything.

This would be the difficult part. Maleficent had to get Queen Grimhilde to listen to her. It would not be easy, not in her lizard form.

Luckily, Maleficent had always been clever.

It wasn't easy holding onto an eyeliner pencil with her tiny claws, carefully moving around to write out letters on a napkin taken from the dining table, but Maleficent did it. She dropped the pencil, admiring her work for a moment before hiding behind the vanity mirror.

She didn't have to wait long.

Queen Grimhilde entered the room, gasping dramatically at the sudden appearance of the napkin on her dressing table. Too dramatically, in Maleficent's opinion. The queen read the note, a scheming sort of smirk spreading across her face as she set it down.

"Oh Maleficent, darling," The Evil Queen called out. "Come here. We've got work to do."


	11. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The book Ben is reading in the beginning is one of my own, but not exactly. The idea is all mine, don't get me wrong, but like, basically I daydream a LOT and I wrote down some of the latest in my favorite daydreaming storyline. It's the only bit that's ever been written down so I wouldn't really consider it to be a book. More of an ongoing TV show in my head. Does that make sense? I hope it does. 
> 
> Anyways, we left off on a major cliffhanger last chapter, you're welcome, and I hope y'all like this chapter. They're getting closer to putting together a plan to get off the Isle in this one, but I've still got some other Isle related stuff I want to address first so you can look forward to that in Monday's chapter. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated, and please let me know if I've made any spelling or grammar mistakes!
> 
> Warnings: Minor scene with Jafar where child abuse is VERY strongly implied. Nothing actually happens though.

_"It's not much further!" Aylin looked back over his shoulder, clutching at the bleeding slash on his side. "Lorrain, we can make it!"_

_The bright city lights of Io were ahead, the safety dome a welcome sight, sparkling white against the pitch-black sky._

_Pale dust kicked up around their feet as they ran. The ship had been abandoned in the dark recesses of a crater, about 2 kilometres back. They would have to return to it soon to make the repairs needed so they could fly it into one of the ports._

_Aylin's wound was beginning to go numb from pain, spots floating at the edges of his vision. He blinked them away, pressing on. The city gates were in sight. Lorrain was in hardly any better shape than him, the other boy limping behind on what Aylin's sensors told him was a broken foot. Aylin only hoped they would reach Io before one of them collapsed._

_The Captain would be waiting for them in the shop just beyond Gate 12. He wouldn't be happy that they'd damaged the ship, but it could be repaired. He'd be more concerned with fixing Aylin and Lorrain up. A damaged crew was far worse than a damaged ship, especially in Io. The city was safer than the outskirt bases, but only just barely._

_The silence of the Moon was deafening._

_Aylin took a deep breath, the filtered air tasting almost metallic. They just had to make it to the city._

_His sensors beeped. An energy bullet whizzed past them at lightning speed, hitting the dome in a shower of sparks._

_Shit. They were under—_

The window opened with a bang.

Ben startled, greeted by the sight of an out of breath Jay and Mal frantically entering the loft.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, setting down the book he'd been trying to read. Half the pages were gone and the ink had blurred with seawater, but the title had caught his eye. It was one of his favorite books, a whirlwind romance mystery that featured cyperpunk vampires, spaceships, and murder. He'd been surprised to find a copy on the Isle.

"Got...lamp..." Jay panted, bending over as he tried to catch his breath.

Lamp? Surely he didn't mean—

"Jafar can't...follow here," Mal said, leaning against the wall. "We're...safe..."

Ben frowned. They'd left about two hours ago to steal something simple from Jafar's shop. This did not look like the result of a quick trip to get something shiny.

"Not for long," Jay said, his breathing finally beginning to slow. He stood up and pulled a black object out of his pocket, slamming it down on the old trunk that made a makeshift coffee table. "We need to get rid of it soon."

"Is that...?" Ben's eyes went wide with shock. Could it really be? He'd grown up hearing stories from Jordan about how Aladdin had tricked Jafar into becoming a jinn, his jet-black lamp reflecting his dark and evil soul. When questioned, Ben's father had simply said the lamp was gone forever. This, however, did not look like 'gone forever.'

"Yup."

"Holy fuck."

Cursing seemed appropriate in this kind of situation. Ben normally refrained, as it wasn't deemed proper for royalty to use such language. When confronted with the jinn lamp of one of the most powerful villains ever though, such rules were thrown out the window.

"Yup."

Ben reached out to touch it and was immediately bombarded with shouting.

"Whoa!" He backed away, hands held high. Both Jay and Mal had flung themselves across the room to block him from touching it.

"If you touch it," Jay said, his arm still hovering in the air, "My dad could know. He might be able to find our location, I'm not sure. But no one, and I mean _no one_ is touching that lamp."

"Got it," Ben said, hands lowering as he took up his spot on the couch again. "I will steer clear."

"Good." Mal relaxed and sat down at his side, sliding her arm around his waist. "Jay, put it somewhere safer."

"Oh, of course, leave it to me while you go cuddle, your highness," Jay said mockingly, but picked up the lamp, carefully holding it with gloved hands, and left the room. Mal's middle finger followed him out.

"We're seriously not giving Jafar's lamp to Dr. Facilier, are we?" Ben asked as he and Mal settled back into the cushions. He'd missed this, holding her close and knowing she was safe.

"Sorry Ben, we are." Mal kissed his cheek. "But don't worry, magic doesn't work here, remember?"

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better," Ben muttered. Handing an object more powerful than Fairy Godmother's wand over to a man who dealt in necromancy and manipulation didn't sound like a good idea.

"Dr. F isn't as bad as most of the villains here. He's like, the only parent on the Isle who actually cares about his kids."

"Still," Ben said with a sigh, "It just seems like we're asking for trouble."

"Maybe," Mal shrugged. She stroked the back of his hand idly, painting invisible lines with her fingertips. 

"If we ever get back to Auradon," Ben said after a few seconds of pressing silence, "We're not telling Fairy Godmother about the numerous illegal things I've done here."

"Agreed," Mal said with a quiet laugh. "I'd say you get a free pass because its the Isle, but good ole' FG probably wouldn't."

"Gods," Ben groaned, "She hates when you call her that."

"Good," Mal smirked, and Ben's breath caught. What? It wasn't his fault that Mal was incredibly hot when she smirked. And talked. And did basically anything. He blamed the teenage hormones. 

"The Isle is a pretty interesting place," Ben coughed, speaking before his thoughts could take a trip downstairs. "Much different from what I expected."

"Mhmm. We felt the same about Auradon. Got there and everything was different and weird." 

"What did you guys think of Auradon?" Ben looked down. Mal thought for a moment before responding. 

"Before we left the Isle, we thought it was a terrible place, full of princes and princesses, none of which could think for themselves and be their own person. Robot minds of robot slaves, heaven's golden chorus, you know? And then we got there, and it was exactly like that, at first. Audrey pulling her perfect princess act, and Jane and Lonnie and all the girls wanting to be just like her, and even Doug turning away from us after the family day fiasco really cemented that belief. But then you went and said you knew about the love potion, and Jane stole the wand, and I think that's when I realized that even though Auradon has a mold, people there still have their own beliefs and actions. Does that make sense?"

"I think so," Ben said, trying to process her explanation. "You didn't want to be good until coronation?"

"No, no," Mal shook her head adamantly. "I actually started having doubts about being evil the night we made the love potion cookie, when Lonnie interrupted us and talked about parents loving their kids. Jane stealing the wand was just my final confirmation that I was making the right choice about Auradon."

"Ah," Ben nodded. "That makes sense."

"I am sorry about the love potion," Mal said. They'd had this conversation a million times since the coronation, when Ben revealed that he'd known since the lake. Ben had long since forgiven her. He'd been understandably upset at first, given that she'd literally drugged him to be in love with her. Over time though, he'd realized that a large part of their desperation to steal the wand, (yes, he knew about that. He was the king, and security cameras existed even if Carlos had done a wonderful job with the museum alarm), had come from the fear of disappointing their parents. And from the little snippets he picked up, disappointing their parents might as well have been asking for a death sentence.

"Mal, it's okay," Ben said firmly. "No more apologizing about that."

"Fine, fine," Mal said, sighing. "We'll see Dr. F tomorrow."

And that was the end of that. They sat for a while longer on the couch, until Mal had to go deal with gang leader duties, and Ben returned to his book. 

Sometimes, one needed a small break from reality and fictional worlds were the best for that.

\---

Ben hated diplomacy.

It was one of the worst parts of being the king. Having to tread around every word, carefully phrasing things in the most open-ended ways possible so that no one would get offended. It was exhausting.

Diplomacy, as it seemed, did not exist on the Isle. At least, not to the extent that Auradon had it.

Ben stood behind Mal with Carlos and Jay as she set the lamp down on Dr. Facilier's desk. They'd gone straight to the headmaster's office, Lonnie and Evie choosing to go to class rather than be around for the trade.

"What is that shiny little thing?" Dr. Facilier asked, grinning up at her. "Surely it's not...?"

"Oh, it is," Mal gave a sickly sweet smirk, her hand still on the lamp. "And it's all yours."

"What's the price?" Dr. Facilier asked, eyeing the lamp.

"Unlimited access to the Athenaeum of Evil. School projects, you know, they're just so difficult."

"Sorry," Dr. Facilier leaned back into his chair as his eyes slid over to Ben. "I don't do dealings with royalty anymore. Went a little bad the last time, I'm sure you understand."

"Oh but just think," Mal said, leaning in. "You'd get the lamp of Jafar out of this. The power of a jinn, at your fingertips."

"Did you forget, little girl? Magic, voodoo, whatever you have, it doesn't work here."

"Maybe." Mal shrugged. "Or maybe not. I've heard hear-tell of Auradon thinking about letting more kids leave. Which means... Oh, you're right. I should just give this to Freddie, she'll have more use for it."

Mal started to leave, picking the lamp up and turning around.

"Wait!"

Ben saw a triumphant glint flash in Mal's eyes as she turned back to Dr. Facilier.

"It's truly the lamp of Jafar, yes? You ain't just pulling my leg here?"

"Truer than true," Mal said, dangling it from her fingertip by the handle.

"I suppose even if the magic in it doesn't work, Jafar will be wanting this back," Dr. Facilier muttered with a little smirk, his eyes tracking the movement.

"Oh, I'm sure he'd do anything to get this back," Mal said and set it down. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes." Dr. Facilier leaned forward, but Mal snatched her hand back before he could touch the metal.

"Unlimited access to the Athenaeum of Evil whenever we want. Give me the key, you get the lamp."

"Same time," Dr. Facilier said, taking the necklace with the key off and holding it up. Mal nodded. 

Ben held his breath, watching as they slowly inched towards each other. Mal grabbed the key in the same second Dr. Facilier swooped forward to grab the lamp.

"If this key doesn't work," Mal said conversationally as she examined it. "It's Celia first, then Freddie, then you. And trust me, it won't be quick or painless."

Would it be wrong for Ben to say he found the sight of his girlfriend threatening someone kinda hot? These teenage hormones were really acting up lately. 

"Understood," Dr. Facilier said, his gaze flicking to the old Polaroid photo on his desk of his daughters. "The same to you. Wouldn't want dear princey here looking greener than he already he is."

"Great!" Mal grinned and handed the key to Carlos. "Bye now."

They left the office, Ben sighing with relief the second they were in the hallway.

"I really thought that wasn't going to work," He said. Mal stood on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry, I'm great at bargaining. One way or another, we would've left his office with that key."

"Thank you so much, Mal," Carlos said. "Tell Lonnie and Evie to meet me at the library as soon as classes are over."

"You've got it," Mal said. Carlos grinned and saluted, taking off down the hallway.

Ben was going to Advanced Vanities next with Jay, so they started in that direction, Mal leading the way. 

They'd passed the history classroom and were about to turn the corner when Jay suddenly froze. 

"Jay?" Mal looked over at him. Jay held a finger up to his lips. Ben glanced around, concerned about what Jay had heard. 

Jay listened for a second, his eyes growing wider, until he suddenly whipped around and pushed them towards the classroom. 

"What's up?" Mal hissed. 

"My dad, I can hear him," Jay whispered, frantically trying to pick the locked classroom. Ben's heartrate went up. Jafar was here?

"Shit," Mal said, kneeling beside him. "What can I do?" 

"I don't know! This thing won't fucking work, they changed the locks!" Jay whisper-shouted. Ben was watching the corner, waiting for the moment Jafar would round it. 

"Guys," he said in warning, hearing footsteps drawing closer. The echoing sound was ominous in the dark halls. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Jay chanted, resting his head against the door. " _Fuck._ "

"Guys," Ben tapped their shoulders as he saw Jafar step into this hallway. 

The man hadn't lost much of his regality in the 20 years he'd spent on the Isle. Sure, he'd put on some weight and he looked old, his hair graying and face wrinkling, but he still stood tall and imposing as he stepped towards them. Ben straightened his back as much as he could, his heart in his throat. 

"Jay," Jafar said softly, looking down at his son with a cruel smile. "You shouldn't have done that. Give it to me, now."

"I don't have it anymore." Jay said, standing up and facing his father. "Gave it away. Traded it."

"You little-" Jafar's hand curled into a fist and Ben tensed, preparing to push Jay out of the way. Then a switch flipped and Jafar relaxed, giving them all a diplomatic smile. Somehow that didn't make Ben any less uneasy. "Forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my manners for a moment there. We're in the presence of a king. And you brought him here Jay, I'm proud."

"Cut the crap," Mal rolled her eyes. Jafar's smile tightened. "Jay was telling the truth, we don't have the lamp anymore."

"Well," Jafar smoothed his robes. "Who does then?"

"That would be me." Ben turned at the sound of Dr. Facilier's voice. The necromancer was walking down the hall, grinning and swinging the lamp on one finger. "If you'll kindly step into my office, I'm sure we can work out a deal."

"Facilier," Jafar hissed. 

"That's Doctor Facilier to you. Follow me."

"You will pay for this," Jafar said, grabbing Jay's arm. 

"Let. Him. Go." Mal said, stepping right up to Jafar. They stared at each other for a second, Ben nervously flexing his fingers, wanting to pull Mal away and into safety but unable to, until Jafar finally broke and released Jay.

"Sorry about that kiddies," Dr. Facilier said as Jafar moved to his side. "He won't be bothering you anymore."

"Good." Mal dipped her head. "Keep it that way. Jay, Ben, let's go."

They turned the corner, a shuddering relief going through the group when no sounds of Jafar chasing them down came. Ben draped an arm over Mal's shoulder as they walked, pulling her close. 

"I'm going to be honest, I find it a little hot when you get all powerful like that." Ben said, hoping to break the silent tension. 

"Aw, Benny-boo's got a little crush," Jay sang, and Ben flipped him off. It had worked though, the air of fear around them was disappearing. 

"Ben!" Mal gave a shocked laugh. "Look at you, turning into an Isle kid already. We're corrupting you too much."

"I prefer the phrase, 'Learning about and participating in cultural activities'," Ben said with a chuckle. Mal grinned.

"Would you care to learn about and participate in some other cultural activities?" She asked, winking at him. Jay made a gagging noise. 

"Oh, gods!" Ben yelped, his face flushing. Maybe he wasn't quite an Isle kid yet. "At school? Definitely not!"

_But what if?_ A dark part in the back of his mind muttered. _There's an empty classroom right there, and wouldn't it be so hot to lay across the desk and let Mal do whatever she wanted to you?_

_Shut up,_ Ben firmly replied to that part of his brain. Oh, the woes of being a teenager. 

Mal and Jay burst into laughter.

"I meant skipping class!"

_Oh._ Ben felt his face burn even brighter.

"Gods, we really are corrupting you," Mal said through her giggles.

"How was I supposed to know?" Ben muttered, trying to hold back an embarrassed smile and failing. "Jokes here are always about sex."

"That's not true," Mal said, pointing a long and polished fingernail at him. 

"Oh no, he'd definitely right," Jay said as they continued to walk. "Just yesterday, I heard Anthony Tremaine talking about..."

The sounds of Jay attempting to imitate Anthony Tremaine's posh accent and Mal's laughter faded into background noise as they walked down the hallway, Ben's arm curled around Mal, forming a placebo of keeping her safe. Jay was on her other side, at her right hand, strong and imposing, glaring at the students who dared to get close to their little group as they argued over innuendos. The Isle was a place of change, and he wasn't sure how things would be different if and when they ever got back home to Auradon, but he knew they would be.


	12. Lonnie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter time. Lonnie gets some more character development. This chapter was rewritten about 50 billion times and tbh, I'm still not quite happy with how it turned out. But here it is anyways, because you can only revise so many times before you go insane. 
> 
> Warnings: None

_Two years ago -_

_It was like any other day in Auradon. The sun was shining and the birds were singing; it was that perfect time between spring and summer. Lonnie had some History homework she needed to do, but that could wait. Right now, she was hiding from Jane._

_The two had been best friends for years. Lonnie hadn't known anyone when her family moved to Auradon, but on the first day of 2nd grade, Jane had sat down next to her and asked to borrow her yellow marker. From that moment on, they'd been inseparable._

_Earlier, Lonnie had texted Jane that she needed to tell her something, then immediately threw her phone across the room and regretted every decision she'd ever made in her life._

_See, Lonnie had recently figured something out. It was something big, something scary, and something she wanted to tell her best friend before anyone else. Lonnie liked girls. Lonnie liked girls in the way she was supposed to like boys. Well, she did like boys too, but girls definitely caught her eye more._

_She knew she wasn't abnormal. She knew there were other people in Auradon that liked the same gender (In fact, hadn't her father mentioned once that he'd started liking her mother before she'd revealed she was a girl?), but it wasn't common, and it scared her. She didn't know if Jane would accept it. Especially if Lonnie told her about the other half of the secret._

_Not only did she like girls, she liked Jane._

_Could ya really blame her though? Jane was gorgeous. Lonnie knew the other girl didn't see herself as beautiful, and she wished Jane could see herself through her eyes. The way her smile could brighten the worst of days, the way her eyes glowed when she talked about art class, the way she brought a cookie every morning for Lonnie to snack on in book club. All of it made her beautiful, and she couldn't see it._

_It was almost physically painful to sit through conversations about crushes. Lonnie would smile and nod along as Jane went on about how Aziz looked good in button-up shirts, or the way Pin's hair had caught the light that morning, or how Artie had been sketching her in art and do you think he likes me back?_

_Jane hadn't talked about any boys in over a month though, and had blushed that morning when Lonnie hugged her. Maybe she had a chance? Maybe Lonnie was lucky? Maybe, just maybe, Jane liked her back?_

_It was wishful thinking, she was sure. But that single grain of hope was what had driven her to text Jane. And, of course, she'd lost all courage after hitting that send button and had now been avoiding her best friend for approximately 8 hours._

_So here she was, hiding out in the farthest bathroom stall, waiting for Jane to leave her locker. She'd forgotten that Jane always stopped by her locker after her last class on Wednesdays and had dived into the bathroom the second she caught sight of Jane's hair in the hallway._

_"Lonnie?"_

_Well, evidently Cri-kee III had taken the day off. Her luck had clearly run out because that was Jane's voice outside the stall._

_"Lonnie, I recognize those shoes. What's up?"_

_"Nothing!" Lonnie called, her voice far higher than it should have been. "I'm just, uh, hiding."_

_"From what?" Jane asked. Lonnie heard her setting her stuff down and sighed, leaning her head back against the wooden door. There was no getting out of this conversation now. "Does this have something to do with what you had to tell me?"_

_"Yea," Lonnie said, closing her eyes. Deep breath in, out. She could do this. "Please don't hate me."_

_"Lonnie!" Jane's shocked voice came through the door. "I could never! What's wrong?"_

_"I, um," Lonnie swallowed, her throat dry. "I like girls."_

_There. She'd said it. Three simple words. They echoed around in the silence._

_"Jane?" Lonnie grew more nervous with every second that passed. "Jane?"_

_"Yea, I'm here," Jane said, her voice sounding strange to Lonnie's ears. "You like girls? Like I like boys?"_

_"Yea." Lonnie nodded, even though Jane couldn't see her. "Yea, I like girls just the same as I like boys."_

_There was silence for another moment. Lonnie's fingers tapped frantically on the tile floor, waiting for Jane's next words. A thousand scenarios passed through her mind, none good._

_"Okay."_

_She had not been expecting that. Lonnie sat up a little straighter, her eyes snapping open._

_"You like girls as well as boys. Okay."_

_Lonnie stood up, unlocking the stall door. Jane was right in front of her, her backpack and books at her feet, a small smile on her face._

_"One more thing," Lonnie said, her heart pounding. Jane nodded, indicating for her to continue. "I like you."_

_"Oh," Jane said softly, her eyebrows raising. "Okay."_

_"Do you-," Lonnie cleared her throat. "Do you hate me now?"_

_"No," Jane said, shaking her head adamantly. Lonnie's heart jumped. "You can't control who you like. I'm sorry, I don't like you back, but it's okay that you like me. I'm flattered even."_

_"Oh thank the gods," Lonnie said, smiling as her eyes welled up with tears. "I was totally prepared for you to hate me."_

_"Lonnie," Jane said, stepping forward and hugging her. "I could never hate you."_

_"Thank you," Lonnie said, hugging her back tightly. She was warm, and safe, and Lonnie was half in shock. She hadn't expected that conversation to go so well._

_"Can I say something?" Jane asked a moment later, letting go and taking a small step back._

_"Yea, of course," Lonnie said, wiping away the tears running down her face._

_"Audrey's really pretty."_

_Lonnie's eyes widened._

_"Are you-?"_

_"Maybe." Jane shrugged. "I don't know. I think that love, true love, can't be restricted. If I fall in love with a boy, then I fall in love with a boy. If I fall in love with a girl, then I fall in love with a girl. I'm open to whatever life throws at me, I guess. Que será, será and all that. Does that make sense?"_

_"Yea, it does," Lonnie said. She really hadn't been expecting that. Not only did Jane not hate her, but Jane might also be a little like her. "So, Audrey? Really? Not me? I'm offended"_

_"Oh, shush," Jane said, laughing and picking up her school stuff. Lonnie retrieved her stuff from the bathroom. "You're cute too, but did you see Audrey in that one purple dress? Nothing can compare."_

_"You've got a point," Lonnie said, remember Audrey's outfit from last week. It had been pretty impressive. "But she's so bossy."_

_"Exactly," Jane said, winking at her as they left the bathroom. Lonnie gave a dramatic gasp, hitting her friend on the shoulder as Jane giggled._

_"Fairy Jane!" Lonnie said, doing her best impersonation of Fairy Godmother as they walked. "How could you say such a scandalous thing?!"_

_"Li Lonnie!" Jane mimicked with a grin, "How could you not admit that I'm right?"_

_"What are we right about?" Audrey appeared at Lonnie's side, joining them as they walked. Lonnie and Jane glanced at each other and burst into laughter._

_"Nothing!"_

_"Right," Audrey said, eyeing them disdainfully. "Don't forget, we have the book club fundraiser tonight. Be there at 5 PM sharp, okay?"_

_"You got it," Lonnie said, giving her a thumbs up. The princess flipped her hair and walked away. Lonnie and Jane exchanged another look and laughed again, continuing towards the dorms._

_So maybe it hurt a little that Jane didn't like her back._

_Okay, it hurt a lot._

_But Lonnie knew she'd get past it. She was 15, and 15-year-old crushes never lasted long. She would move on eventually and the pain would fade._

_Thinking back on it, it had been ridiculous for her to think that Jane would hate her. Jane was her best friend, and they'd always stuck together, through thick and thin, rough and smooth. Jane would always be there for her, and vice versa._

\---

There was a lot Lonnie didn't like about the Isle. The food, the clouds, the crimes committed just for basic survival. It was a horrible place, really, and she didn't know how the other kids had lived here for so long.

There were a few bright sides, though. She liked walking across the rooftops. She liked the swordfights. And she liked the people.

Of course, there were some horrible, terrible villains on the Isle that she never wanted to encounter. Those people she did not like. The kids though, most of them were people she liked. Freddie and Celia Facilier, Diego de Vil, Yzla, even Harry Hook and that annoying Irma "Rumor" Sinclair girl. Sure, they were all villain's kids, tougher than nails and deceitful as a poison apple, but she knew deep down, they all had the capacity to be good. Why else would Celia have given her the last, albeit incredibly stale, muffin at lunch? Why else did Harry only hit Jay with the flat of his blade in fights? Why else had the kids come up with the idea of a truce night? Clearly, goodness existed somewhere deep down in their hearts.

Speaking of the truce night, she'd really connected with Desiree at the bonfire. They'd talked for hours about the Isle and Auradon, and parents and expectations. Desiree's father was Shan Yu. As in, the man who lead the Hun army that Lonnie's parents had decimated. That had been quite the awkward moment.

Once they got past the whole, "Your mom killed my dad with rockets"/"Your dad tried to take over all of China," thing, they found they had a lot in common. Everyone wanted Lonnie to live up to the great Fa Mulan legacy and join the army when really, she wanted to make a change on a smaller scale like her father. After the war, he'd retired and they moved to Auradon where her dad served on many councils around the city, working with charities and unions to make Auradon better.

Desiree had understood. She told Lonnie that her mom had dropped her on her dad's doorstep when she was born, leaving him to raise her. He'd been the typical Isle parent, intent on making her the meanest, toughest villain kid around, always going on and on about how someday they'd be free and she had to be ready to take over China and rule. Desiree didn't want though, telling Lonnie that if she ever got away from the Isle, she wanted to sail the world with Uma and the pirates, free on the open seas. She liked to think her mom, whoever she was, felt the same and wanted her daughter to make her own path.

Lonnie had hated having to say goodbye that morning when they left. According to Jay, the pirates were their enemies again once the sun rose, and she thought that was bullshit. If they could get along for one night, why couldn't they get along for the rest of the year? Deep down, she knew it was because they needed an outlet for the anger they and their parents had about being trapped in this horrid place, but still. Jay and Harry made it work.

Speaking of Jay and Harry...

It was obvious that Jay was sneaking out most nights. Lonnie was a light sleeper, and she noticed every single time he left. It was almost comical, him thinking he was being quiet when opening the window. She was sure the others had noticed by now too, but no one had chosen to say anything. She usually just ignored him and went back to sleep, but tonight was different.

Tonight, she was going to follow him to the docks.

If she could find Desiree again, outside of a gang fight, maybe they could talk more and be friends. Or, whatever passed for friends on the Isle. Maybe even more. Desiree was really pretty and Lonnie certainly wouldn't be opposed if something more did develop between them.

So, as soon as she heard the quiet creaking that meant Jay was leaving, her eyes snapped open. It took a second to adjust to the lack of light, but she could see his dark shape silhouetted against the window, undoing the latch and slipping out. She waited a minute after he shut it before getting up herself, bracing an arm against the bottom to muffle the noise as she slid it up.

It was cold outside, and Lonnie was glad she thought to grab a hoodie before she snuck out. Jay's figure was already moving down the street and she quickly shimmied down the staircase, the metal freezing under her fingertips. She followed him at a short distance, just far enough that he wouldn't notice her but close enough to know where he was going.

The Isle was a lot more alive at night than Auradon. Lonnie and her friends sometimes had sleepovers where they would slip out after dark and take walks in the town around Auradon at night, and there was always a sort of eerie, quiet emptiness in the streets and parks.

It was completely different on the Isle though, with the streets almost more alive in the night than in the day. She saw market stalls being set up and shops of all sorts turning on their lights and flipping the 'open' sign as they prepared for customers. She heard the sounds of bars and parties echoing in the air and wondered if the VK's had been more nocturnal than they'd realized when they arrived in Auradon. The city itself certainly seemed that way.

Lonnie realized as she turned a corner that she'd lost sight of Jay. That wasn't good. She could barely remember the way back to the loft, with the streets looking so much different than they did the daytime. She whirled around, searching frantically for his tall shadow. It was nowhere. Lonnie's heart dropped. She was lost, alone on the Isle, at night.

"Why are you following me?"

Lonnie jumped at the sound of Jay's voice above her. She looked up, catching sight of him crouched on the roof.

"Jay! Gods, don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," He grinned, jumping down and landing on the cobblestone in front of her. "So why are you following me?"

"Well, uh," Lonnie suddenly found the ants by her feet fascinating. She vaguely remembered some school fact about how ants could lift 5,000 times their own body weight. "I was hoping to follow you to the docks."

"You want to go to the docks?" Jay sounded surprised. "Why?"

"Desiree was fun to hang out with," Lonnie mumbled.

"Ah, a pirate's caught your eye," Jay slung an arm over her shoulder and grinned. Lonnie rolled her eyes at him. "I can understand. Let's go."

"You're not shocked?" Lonnie asked as they walked. "That I'm, you know, interested in Desiree?"

"Maybe a little," Jay said with a shrug. "I kinda thought everyone in Auradon believed in the whole one prince, one princess thing, but really, it's not surprising. People don't really care about that here."

"Yea, Evie and Mal said something similar the other day," Lonnie said, remembering the rooftop conversation. How had Evie phrased it? Auradon was the weird one for thinking sex could only happen between boys and girls? That sounded right.

"So what do you like about Desiree?"

"I don't know," Lonnie said, blushing. She'd only known Desiree for a few days, it barely qualified as a crush at this point. "What do you like about Harry?"

"You know?"

"Jay, everyone knows. You guys aren't exactly subtle."

"Oh. Mal didn't tell me that." Jay hummed and shrugged, "I like how confident he is. And we've been together for years, even if we didn't really acknowledge it until recently, so he's really open with me about stuff, which is nice. There's no worry about keeping secrets with us."

"Not even gang secrets?"

"Oh. That's a bit different. I guess we do have a few secrets. But not many, and not any important ones that could hurt our relationship."

"Ah," Lonnie nodded. She could see the beach in the distance, meaning they were almost to the docks.

"I guess what I like about Desiree is, well, one she's really pretty, and two, when we were talking at the bonfire, she understood what it felt like to have people expect you to do something great when you just want to do your own thing. And I get that everyone in Auradon and on the Isle understands that to an extent, but it felt different with her. Maybe it's just because of our parents but I really felt a connection there."

The rest of their walk was silent. Lonnie felt a little nervous. She'd never even had a proper girlfriend, and here she was trying to get closer with the daughter of her parents' sworn enemy. Except no, Desiree wasn't like that. Desiree was different. Every Isle kid was different from their parents, just how every Auradon kid was different from their parents. Desiree deserved a chance. They all deserved a chance.

Lonnie was wary as Jay led her up the ramp to the pirate ship. Last time she'd been here, it had ended in a gang fight. Now though, it was quiet. Jay knocked on a door, Lonnie looking over his shoulder as it opened, revealing Harry Hook in the doorway.

"Well, what do we have here?" Harry asked, looking at her. Jay motioned for her to follow him inside.

"She's looking for Desiree," Jay said. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Is everyone in tha' gang of yours attracted ta pirates?"

Lonnie's face went red, partly from embarrassment, and partly from anger.

"Pretty sure Carlos isn't," Jay said with a grin. Harry flipped him off and left. "He'll be back in a minute."

Lonnie nodded, looking around. There wasn't much in the room, just an old desk with a chair, a mattress on the floor, and a clothesline strung across one side with clothing hung up on it. The room was softly lit by a few lamps on the wall, a strange difference to the bright electricity she was used to. When they got home, Lonnie was never going to complain about power outages ever again.

Harry returned a minute later with a few chairs, Desiree just behind him. Lonnie's heart fluttered a little at the sight of the girl, her curly hair tied back to show shockingly bright blue eyes and her dark skin almost glowing in the dim light. Lonnie smiled and gave a small wave as a faint blush spread under Desiree's freckles.

"Alright," Harry grumbled, plunking the chairs down and pulling the desk away from the wall. "Sit down, we're playin' cards."

Lonnie took a seat, her smile widening as Desiree sat down next to her.

They played card games well into the early hours of the morning. It was a little awkward at first, but the atmosphere lightened up pretty quickly. Lonnie learned a lot as they talked and laughed throughout the night. She saw the way Desiree began to truly open up to her, becoming more comfortable as time passed, and wondered, not for the first time, how the kids on the Isle could be so angry and closed off when deep down, they were just teenagers like her. People in Auradon thought the Isle kids needed to learn from them how to give up evil, but Lonnie thought it was the other way around. Maybe the people of Auradon needed to learn from the Isle how to be good in even the most horrendous of situations.


	13. Jay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating for the past two weeks. Some shit involving past trauma made an appearance and I've been in a pretty un-motivated state for everything. I've been mostly concentrating on keeping up on my schoolwork, but today I woke up and felt better than I have in a while, so (hopefully) we're back!
> 
> Today's chapter was a fun one to write. The Darling is named after one of my childhood cats who passed away a few years ago, although, my parents did give her a much, much longer name that I did in this fic. As for Uma and whole cecaelian thing, I hope I did a good job of explaining what I meant there, but if there's any confusion, please let me know! Hope y'all enjoy the update! We're getting closer and closer to the end :)
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Warnings: None I can think of

Anticipation hung in the air. Jay's hand tightened on his cards. He watched Harry. The boy's eyes were focused on glaring at his cards, just pale slits in the dark eyeshadow haphazardly spread across his face. Jay grinned. He'd been close with Harry for long enough now that he knew the cards were a bad hand.

"Any last bets?"

Jay glanced down at his hand, the faces of the king, queen, and jack of hearts looking back. Beside them were the ace of hearts and the 10 of hearts.

"I'm all in," Jay said, shoving his entire pile of coins to the center of the desk. Harry's face remained the same, but Jay saw the way he shifted as he moved his smaller pile to the center. See, that's why playing cards with Harry always ended with Jay winning. Harry could never back down from a challenge, but Jay knew all his tells, so it was easy to beat him.

Lonnie, who'd surprisingly taken the lead, matched his bet. She only had a few leftover coins but didn't seem too concerned. Desiree had gone broke two rounds prior and had chosen to finish the game by curling up under Lonnie's arm, a wise choice in Jay's opinion. It was harder for Lonnie to concentrate with the pirate cuddled up to her like that.

"Cards down."

Jay laid his cards down, a triumphant grin spreading over his face as he looked at his boyfriend. Harry smirked and laid down his cards one by one.

The king of spades.

The queen of spades.

The jack of spades.

The 10 of spades.

The ace of spades.

"How?!" Jay yelled, shooting out of his seat fast enough to knock his chair over. Harry sat back and cackled.

"Played cards with Uma an' Gil a lot while ya were in Auradon, Jay," Harry said, giving him a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat. "Learned some things."

"Oh you- you-," Jay growled and stabbed a finger in the air at Harry. "Fuck you."

"And that's where we're ending," Lonnie said, sitting up and collecting the cards.

"Desiree, ya can show Lonnie here tha' way back ta their hideout, can't ya?" Harry said, not taking his eyes of Jay. "Methinks Jay has some anger he needs ta uh, work out, if ya get what I mean."

"Oh gods, let's leave," Desiree said, standing up and grabbing Lonnie's hand. "See y'all around, Jay, Harry."

Jay barely took notice as the girls left. He was more focused on reviewing the card game, trying to see if there was a point where it had showed. He needed more data for the next game night, and he'd spent so much time looking for Harry's bad hand tells that he hadn't noticed any for a good hand. That needed to be different.

"Jay?" Harry asked, standing up.

"Shh," Jay waved a hand at him, frowning down at the table. "I'm thinking."

"Thinkin' about little ole' me? I'm flattered." Harry moved closer. "But really, it's more fun when ya share your thoughts with tha' class instead a' keeping them ta yourself."

"Wait, wait." Jay sat back down, staring thoughtfully at the place on the other side of the desk where Harry had been seated. "I'm trying to figure out where I fucked up."

"Jay, gorgeous, look at me."

Jay finally looked up, meeting Harry's gaze. The pirate leaned in and dropped a light kiss on his cheek.

"It's not on ya tha' ya lost. I got a lot a' practice with Uma while ya were gone. An' Auradon doesn't play cards much, yea?"

"Yea, but I thought I knew all your tells." Jay crossed his arms. "It's just a weird feeling knowing that I actually don't.

"You'll learn tha' new ones, I'm sure," Harry said. "An' then I'll have ta go find Uma again an' get even better."

Jay shrugged. Harry had a bit of a point. It just hurt a little that he didn't know Harry as well as he used to. Leaving for Auradon had really changed a lot. And now Jay might be leaving again, if Carlos could actually break through the barrier. He knew the younger boy had been in the Athenaeum day in, day out since their little deal with Dr. F doing as much research as he physically could.

Jay couldn't leave again. He couldn't break that promise to Harry, not a second time. They'd barely gotten through it once.

Maybe he could visit...? No, that wouldn't work. 

Or, what if?

"Come to Auradon with me," Jay said, nervously picking at the skin around his fingernail.

"What?" Harry stared at him, then laughed. "Jay, ya cannae be serious. Come ta Auradon? With all tha' sparkly magic and princessy goodness? No."

"Harry, we're working on a way back there," Jay sat up a little straighter in his chair, "Carlos broke the barrier once, years and years ago, and he thinks he can do it again. If he succeeds, I have to go with him. With all of them."

"An' leave me again."

"No! No. That's why I want you to come with me. So I won't have to leave you again."

"Jay," Harry gave him a regretful look. "I can't leave mah captain. I need tha' ship, tha' crew."

"But-" Jay sighed. He knew how close Harry was to Uma and Gil. He'd feel the same if someone asked him to give up Evie, Mal, and Carlos. "Okay. We'll figure something out. Eventually. Right?"

"Of course," Harry said, giving him a cheerful smile, but underneath it was worry, hurt, and sorrow. "We'll work it out."

"I should get going too," Jay said. Harry nodded. Jay pulled him into a kiss, wishing he could stay forever.

"Wait, I'll walk ya back," Harry said, pulling away. Jay laced their hands together and they left.

It was dark and cold outside, the air quiet and still. The moon was almost breaking through the clouds, the circular shape visible through the thin layer dulling its glow.

Jay couldn't stop thinking about Harry and Auradon. He almost wished he'd never gone in the first place. Then he wouldn't be having this problem now. He didn't want to stay on the Isle but if Harry couldn't come to Auradon... Jay didn't want to consider it.

"Hey what's tha'?" Harry suddenly stopped. Jay followed his gaze towards a nearby alley. "Do ya hear somethin'?"

Jay narrowed his eyes, listening carefully to the sounds around them. There was the waves crashing in the distance, the sounds of the city further inland, and a tiny high-pitched meow coming from the alleyway.

"I think it's a cat," Jay said, stepping closer for a better look. Hidden deep in the shadows at the front of the alley was a little black kitten. He bent down, trying to coax it out.

"A cat? Where'd she come from?" Harry crouched next to him, holding a hand out.

The kitten crept forward, cautiously licking at Harry's fingers.

"Aw, she can smell the fish on your hands," Jay grinned, nudging Harry. The pirate glared at him and shifted forward to pick up the kitten.

"I don't handle fish," Harry said, holding the cat up to look at her better.

"Look, she has your eyes," Jay said, pointing at the round blue eyes staring at them.

"Look, she has your hair," Harry said, knocking his knee against Jay's. "I'm keeping her."

"Of course you are." Jay stood up, Harry following a moment later. "What's her name?"

"You pick," Harry said, cradling her close to his chest with one hand and tucking his jacket over her with the other.

"Hm." Jay thought for a moment. "The Darling Ling Li, one-in-one Ruler of the Isle."

"Long name." Harry grinned. "I like it."

"She's cute." Jay scratched the top of the tiny head poking out over Harry's hand.

"Maybe I could come ta Auradon with ya," Harry said softly, almost such that Jay didn't hear it.

"Really?" Jay tried to hold back his excitement, not wanting to scare Harry off of the idea. "You would come back with me?"

"Well, The Darling here is goin' ta need ta be spoiled rotten," Harry said, adjusting his grip on the kitten. "She deserves better than tha' Isle."

"Of course," Jay nodded. Deep down he wondered if Harry could be talking about more than just the little cat with that line. Harry deserved better than the Isle too, along with every other kid wrongfully imprisoned there.

"Let's go," Harry said, setting off again. Jay followed, slinging an arm over Harry's shoulders as they walked.

Maybe there was hope after all. 

\---

Let it be known that Jay was forever grateful that the Uma's cecaelian coloring was teal. The octopus-like cousins of the merfolk could be vicious, Uma's own mother being the most famous example of that, and Jay was sure that if Uma's tentacle coloration had been an angry color like red, she would've been ruling the Isle years ago. Instead, her coloration was a softer teal, a nice balance to her terrifying personality. 

Then again, technically no one could really be sure of Uma's coloration. Cecaelians prided themselves on their uniquely colored tentacles, much how the merfolk often had a rainbow of tail colors. Due to the Isle's lack of magic and the fact that she was half human, Uma had never seen her cecaelian form. It was assumed her color was teal, based on her hair, as hair and tentacle color sometimes matched. Not always, but it was a good estimate. 

Anyways, the reason _why_ Jay was glad Uma had a calmer color palette was because she was currently glaring at him. It was the kind of glare that made you want to shrivel up under her gaze. 

See, that morning, Uma had called for an emergency meeting between their gangs. Turns out, Harry's cabin was less soundproof than they thought, and she'd heard the entire conversation between them last night about Auradon. (Jay refused to think about anything else she might have heard recently.) 

Now, they were in an abandoned warehouse on the border between their territories, 6 of Uma's crew spread out behind her to balance the 6 on Mal's side. Jay stood at her right hand side, opposite Harry. The Darling had taken to Harry already, sat regally on his shoulder and watching over the proceedings with the prestigious expression that only a cat could achieve.

"Jay," Uma snapped. Jay stood a little straighter and returned her glare. "Why don't you do the honors of telling everyone why we're here?"

"I'm his leader," Mal said coolly, "And I'll decide what he does. Jay?"

"Sure," Jay said, his gaze flickering back to Harry. The pirate's jaw was clenched, his eyes apologetic. "I asked Harry if he would come to Auradon with me when we leave."

"You asked," Uma began to slowly pace back and forth, "If you could steal my first mate from me."

Jay took a step forward, angry retort on the tip of his tongue, but was stopped by Mal's arm. She gave a small shake of her head, pushing him back. 

"Uma, he wasn't trying ta steal me," Harry said quietly. 

"Really?" Uma's glare intensified. "It sure sounded like it to me." 

"Why don't we let Jay and Harry tell us what happened?" Mal said, pointedly. "Without interrupting this time."

"Fine, fine," Uma said, waving her hand. "Harry, Jay, go ahead."

 _You first?_ Jay asked silently with a tilt of his head. Harry gave the tiniest nod. 

"Jay didn't want ta leave me behind again," Harry gestured at him. "He made a promise last time tha' he broke. He didn't want ta break it again."

"So I asked him to come to Auradon," Jay picked up. "Because I really don't like breaking my promises. But he said he couldn't leave you and Gil behind." 

Uma blinked and looked at Harry, who was intently studying The Darling's whiskers. Gil was grinning at him from Uma's other side.

"You turned it down for me and Gilly?" 

"I mean," Harry cleared his throat, "Yea. Ya didn't hear tha' part?"

"I left as soon as I heard Auradon leave the thief's mouth," Uma muttered, sounding almost embarrassed. 

Jay was mildly offended at being called a thief. He hadn't stolen anything in over 6 months! Except for his dad's lamp. And some food the other day when their stockpile got thin. And that one necklace last week for Harry that had been irresistible. And the sewing kit for Evie yesterday. And the jeweled collar for The Darling on their way to the warehouse. Okay, so maybe he needed to make another appointment with Mr. Jiminy when they returned to Auradon. Old habits die hard, especially in the place where they were formed. 

"I want ta go," Harry faced Uma and Gil, taking a deep breath. "I want ta go with Jay ta Auradon and live tha' stupid prissy fairytale life. But I won't go without ya. Neither of ya. We're a crew, I won't lose ya."

"I want to bring more Isle kids over," Ben spoke up, startling Jay. He had almost forgotten everyone else came along to the meeting. Uma glared at the king. "You guys could be the first in a new program."

"And how do we know you won't just abandon us when we get there?" Uma asked, Jay moving out of the way as Ben stepped up to Mal's side

Well, it didn't sound like a no from the captain. It might even be a maybe. 

"You think Jay would abandon Harry?" Mal laughed. 

"He did it once already," Uma said, her voice entirely too even for a statement like that. 

"Tha's in the past," Harry said firmly. "He wouldn't do it again."

Jay nodded, Uma giving him a skeptical look. He could never do that to Harry, not again.

"Regardless of what happened with Jay and Harry," Evie said smoothly, stepping up to join the conversation, "We wouldn't abandon you. You'd have a place at Auradon Prep until you graduate, when you can do whatever you want. I'm looking into buying my own place, and you would all be welcome there."

"Just us three?" Gil asked, his voice a lot softer than one would expect from someone of his stature. "I don't want to leave the crew."

"How many people are in your crew?" Ben asked Uma. 

"These five," she said with a gesture at Gil, Harry, and the three behind her that had been silent this whole time, "And two more guarding the ship. They're the main crew."

"We can handle that," Ben said. Jay wasn't sure the High Council would like that, but that was Ben's problem to deal with. "Carlos is working on breaking through the barrier. We can take all eight of you."

"And Dizzie," Evie said, with a pointed look at Ben. "I don't want to leave her behind again."

"That's okay," Ben said with a slow nod. "Nine is an acceptable number."

Jay was pretty sure Ben was lying at this point. He'd heard rumors that Ben's parents had barely tolerated the four of them coming to Auradon, and nine was a lot more than four. 

"Deal." Uma nodded. "You break through the barrier, you take us with you."

Wait— 

Jay exchanged an excited look with Harry. Uma had just agreed to go to Auradon with them. 

"Deal," Mal held out a hand to shake. "We'll see you soon."

Uma shook on it. Jay's heart sped up. Harry was coming with him to Auradon. Gods, he couldn't wait to show him everything over there. The dorms, the cafeteria, the shops in town, the blue sky, sunsets. He'd definitely take Harry to the ice cream shop in the city, and maybe even the arcade? It would be hilarious to unleash Harry on the claw machines. 

"Let's go," Mal said, turning to face their group. She began to walk towards the exit on their side, everyone following her. Jay glanced at Harry as Uma's crew left, giving the pirate a small smile. Harry returned it, the door shutting behind him. 

"Carlos," Mal said as they stepped out into the daylight, "We need to redouble efforts to break that barrier."

"I'm on it," Carlos said with a tired smile, "I'm looking through some old alchemy journals and I think I might be onto something. 

"Good."

Jay put his hands in his pockets, breathing in the fresh air as they started back towards the loft. Uma had agreed to come to Auradon. Things were looking up.


	14. Carlos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, chapter 14, Carlos's chapter, the chapter that took me a solid week to write. That chapter. Man, I did so much research for this chapter, it's insane. I read a million papers about alchemy and spent a very very long time trying to research Disney fairy lore. I also used way too many italics in this chapter, you're welcome. We're getting very close to the end, only two chapters left! 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Warnings: None that I can think of (please tell me if this needs to be changed)

Alchemy was a very precise science. Making mistakes meant risking your life.

You needed the purest silver to make a Diana's Tree, just the right amount of zinc to turn silver into gold, and forgetting what temperature was needed to extract quicksilver from cinnabar always ended badly. 

Alchemy was also was not taught at Auradon.

When Carlos arrived in Auradon, he had noticed immediately how different things were. Names, social interactions, the fact that the sky was actually blue and not gray. It was all different. But school... School was the most different.

For starters, they had to be up by 7 AM because classes started at 8:05 and ended at 3:25. Carlos couldn't believe it when Doug had told them that. Classes at Dragon Hall didn't start until noon and went until about 4 to 4:30 PM on average. Going from about 4 hours of school to 7 hours was pretty hard.

They also had very different class schedules. Auradon Prep had things like 'Mathematics' and 'Grammar', neither of which sounded anything like Selfishness 101 and Alchemy.

He had struggled the first few days in his Chemistry class. That was apparently Auradon's version of alchemy, or, as Carlos soon figured out, a more advanced and updated version of alchemy. It had taken a bit of trial and error though.

Like the time a quiz question asked, "What are the 9 noble metals?" Carlos had stared down at that one for a solid 5 minutes trying to puzzle it out. There were 7 planetary metals in alchemy. Perhaps Auradon used 'noble' instead of 'planetary', and perhaps they'd discovered two more metals and didn't tell the Isle? There _was_ still Neptune and Uranus in the solar system. So Carlos had written the planetary correspondences down, copper to Venus and tin to Jupiter and all the rest, and put a little note at the bottom saying they needed to update Madame Mim so she could teach the Alchemy class on the Isle correctly.

Needless to say, he'd gotten that answer wrong.

It hadn't taken him _too_ long to figure out that chemistry was very different from alchemy. He talked with Mr. Deley after his third failed test (figuring it was no longer just a miscommunication of scientific terms) and discovered that Auradon had advanced far beyond the Isle in terms of science. (And really, he should've known. They had much better technology, why wouldn't their science be different?)

So Carlos did what came naturally to him.

He pulled three consecutive all-nighters reading every single last science book Fairy Godmother would let him check out from the library and returned to Chemistry class with newfound knowledge and a tired but confident smile.

Not much other thought was given to it as the semester continued. He'd caught up in the curriculum, and that was all that mattered. Sure, he still had his slip-ups of referring to mercury as quicksilver, or using the alchemical symbols instead of the periodic table abbreviations, but for the most part he adjusted quickly.

Now though, he wished chemistry didn't exist.

See, finding information was easy...If you had a way of accessing it. Even in the Athenaeum, he didn't have any of the chemistry books that he had in Auradon. And while Carlos would have liked having a photographic memory, he didn't. Knowing that there was information out there that he couldn't get ahold of drove him crazy.

That time he'd broken a hole in the barrier, all those years ago, had been to an entirely different purpose. His device had been built to detect radio waves to get more TV shows on the Isle, and the barrier hole had been an accident. Now, he was trying to purposefully break a hole in the barrier, in order to send actual people through. It was like being back at square one.

Carlos groaned and slammed the latest book shut. He ran the backs of his thumbs over his eyebrows, trying to push away the headache that had been building up just below his skin. Would it have killed the alchemists of old to write their notes in English or Greek, or anything _but_ Latin?

Latin had always been a little difficult for Carlos. His mother had been raised high class in late Victorian England, meaning that as a child, he'd been forced to learn Latin and ancient Greek, along with a bit of French and Italian. He'd picked up Arabic from Jay, some German and Spanish from Evie, and even a bit of Scottish Gaelic from Harry during their gang fights. Languages came fairly easy to him, save for Latin which had too many verb tenses to even begin to comprehend. Nevertheless, he was fluent enough to just barely decipher the scratchy writing in the old alchemical journals in the Athenaeum.

The door clicked and Carlos groaned, looking through slitted eyes at the shadows of the girls entering the library.

"Where's Jay and Ben?" He mumbled.

"I think I last saw them in Weird Science," Mal said, dropping into the spot on his couch next to him. Evie took the other side and Lonnie sat on the armchair opposite them. "What can we do to help?"

"Go back in time and tell Mr. I'm Too Fancy For English that he needs to stop writing in Latin."

"Unfortunately, I can't do that," Mal said. What a shame. Carlos would've liked if she could have. 

"My mom taught me a bit of Latin," Evie said, leaning over to look at the books. "Not a lot but enough to know the basics."

"I only know English, Chinese and ASL," Lonnie said apologetically, grabbing one of the journals. "If my phone worked here, we could run it through Goodly Translate."

"No Wi-Fi." Carlos groaned again, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. "Gods, I hate the Isle."

"What even is this stuff?" Lonnie asked, flipping through a few pages covered in symbols.

"Alchemy." Carlos sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to get me anywhere. Gods, I wish Jane was here."

"You were trying to ask her to Cotillion, right?"

"Yea." Cotillion. Wow, it seemed so long ago already, even though it had been just over a week and a half. He'd become close friends with Jane after Ben's coronation, bonding over a shared interest in technology. Jane was fascinated with learning how magic integrated with technology, and Carlos was just glad to finally have someone who understood what he was talking about. Jane had been the first girl ever to actually interest him and he'd been trying to work up the courage to ask her to Cotillion before this whole mess had happened. He just hoped she wasn't worrying herself sick about him right now.

"When we get back," Lonnie said, drawing him out of his thoughts, "We should put on Cotillion 2.0. It doesn't even have to be big. It can be just us hanging out and partying."

"That could be fun," Evie said, sighing wistfully. "I can bring Doug, right?"

"Definitely," Mal said, "And Carlos can bring Jane."

"And Jay can bring Harry," Lonnie said. Carlos frowned.

"Why Harry?" They were talking about bringing dates, not friends.

The three girls stared at him.

"Because they're, like, a thing?" Lonnie said, giving him a baffled look.

"They're a what??" Carlos looked at Mal, who was stifling her laughter. "I thought they were just friends!"

"No," Evie said, giggling a little. "Carlos they've been together for years. Though they really only started dating recently, according to Lonnie. You seriously couldn't tell, even after yesterday when we had to invite Uma and the pirates to come to Auradon because Jay couldn't stand leaving Harry here again?"

"Oh my god," Carlos said, staring down at the floor, his mouth agape. So much made sense now. "Okay, I give up. I really am too attached to my books to notice things."

"Finally!" Evie stuck her tongue out at Mal. "I won!"

"That bet is _years_ old," Mal grumbled, but pulled out a pouch of coins anyways.

"Are you guys going to actually help me out here," Carlos asked, shaking off his astonishment about Jay and Harry dating as the girls exchanged the money, "Or are you just going to make fun of me?"

"Okay, okay," Mal said, grabbing a stack of books and pulling it closer. "We're helping."

"Good."

He put Evie on the task of translating with him, and sent Mal and Lonnie to find any books they thought might help. Hopefully, they could get through another section of the library before the sun went down.

"Hey what does this say?" Evie asked a while later, pointing at a passage in the journal she was reading. Carlos set down his own book and glanced over.

"Quia plenum effectum, praestare sub luna in sanguinem," Carlos read. "Essentially, you need a lunar eclipse for it to work."

"Great," Evie said, throwing it down. "We can't see lunar eclipses here."

"Keep looking," Carlos said, returning to his work. It was some incredibly boring account about an experiment that hadn't worked. Carlos kind of wanted to throw it into the nearest fire.

"Guys!" Lonnie's shout came from the back of the library. Carlos looked up, concerned. "Guys get over here!"

"What's up?" He shouted back, getting up and starting to look through the bookshelves for her. Evie followed close behind.

"I think I might know why Fairy Godmother hasn't just opened the barrier!"

Now, _that_ was interesting. Carlos had been worried when Fairy Godmother hadn't just retrieved them when Auradon must've realized they went missing. No one had mentioned it, but he knew everyone had silently come to the conclusion that something had gone wrong on their end.

"What did you find?" He asked, turning the corner to the alcove Lonnie was in. She shoved a book at him, her eyes shining and her hands practically shaking with excitement as she pointed at a passage near the bottom of the page. Carlos grabbed it and began reading.

_Faerie magic is oft said to be the most temperamental of the elemental arts. The Fae are mischievous woodland creatures; it makes sense that their magic would be as wild as the wind and harsh like the cold bite of winter._

_As one P. Nigel recorded in his notes decades ago, there have been accounts of instruments of magic* changing loyalties. Most people wrongly believe that Faerie wands** can only be used by the maker, but Nigel's studies suggest otherwise. When another magic user casts spells with another Faerie's instrument, there is a strong possibility that the will of the wand could bend to the new Faerie's magic. Such instances have only been witnessed by those in favor of the Fae, but it is my sincer—_

__________________________

_*Contrary to popular belief, Faerie instruments of magic are not always a long stick. While the typical image of a wooden cylinder is the most popular, an instrument of magic can be anything from a familiar to a flower to a necklace._

_**'Wand' is a slang term referring to a Faerie's instrument of magic._

The paragraph continued on the next page but Carlos didn't bother reading it. Lonnie was right, this could explain what had happened.

"My mother is Faerie..." Mal looked up from reading over Carlos's shoulder, horror dawning on her face. "Oh gods, it makes sense. I didn't understand at the time, she just told me I could never touch her scepter. I didn't ask why but it makes sense. I'm part Faerie because of her. She didn't want me getting her magic. And 6 months ago, Jane used Fairy Godmother's wand. Has Fairy Godmother used the wand since?"

"I don't think so," Lonnie said. "Guys, if Jane is the only one able to use the wand now..."

"Then only Jane can open the barrier," Evie finished, grabbing the book from Carlos. "Do you think Fairy Godmother knows her wand changed loyalties?"

"It's possible?" Lonnie shrugged. "She's smart. She could have figured out by now her wand isn't performing any magic."

"Unless it is," Evie said grimly, pointing at a passage on the next page. "Listen, 'One instance of a Light aligned Faerie wand changing loyalties ended with both users being able to perform magic with it, though neither could perform as impressive of magic as before.' Fairy Godmother's spell to imprison the Isle required almost god-like power. Maybe neither of them can open the barrier now."

"Holy crap," Carlos said, his throat closing as his breaths shortened. "We really could be stuck here forever."

"Or maybe," Lonnie quickly said, "They can open the barrier but they have to work together. Fairy Godmother is the most powerful Fae in the world, she'll know how to fix it."

"No," Mal said, beginning to pace in front of the bookshelf. "They don't know about this. Faerie magic is a very closely kept secret. I had to beg my mother for years for her to teach me how to do simple spells. If Fairy Godmother knew about wand loyalties changing, we would already be out of here, I'm sure of it."

"We don't know that," Evie said hesitantly. "Maybe they do know."

"And maybe they don't," Carlos snapped. "Either way, we have no idea of knowing what they know. There's nothing we can do from this side."

"That's not true," Mal muttered, a manic light literally beginning to grow in her eyes. "Carlos, do you still have that device around that broke a hole in the barrier?"

"Maybe somewhere in the back closet," Carlos said, frowning. "But it broke after I used it."

"You can fix it." Mal grinned at them, her eyes glowing vividly green. "Do you think you could get cell service with it?"

"Oh my gods-" Evie started and Mal nodded. Carlos felt a smile begin to spread across his face as he realized what Mal was thinking about. She was a _genius._

"Yup. We've got a phone call to make."


	15. Evie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord, I'm sorry for disappearing for like, a month and a half. I live in the United States, which, as pretty much everyone in the world has seen by now, is going through some shit with our government. It's been an incredibly stressful several weeks and the past two have been some crazy mix of emotions that I can't even begin to describe. 
> 
> I'm uploading this chapter today and the final one tomorrow. There is a sequel in the works, though I have no idea when it'll be finished and posted. Hopefully before this time next year. I hope y'all enjoy the update!
> 
> On a lighter note, 41 days until Christmas/Yule! 27 days until Hanukkah! 43 days until Kwanzaa! Happy Holidays season everyone!

Wind whipped all around her, tangling her hair and causing her eyes to water. A storm had risen in the past hour, and she kept glancing nervously at the dark clouds above, waiting for a flash of lightning. Her clothes were soaked with rain, a cold seeping deep into her bones and setting her teeth to an aching chatter.

"Are you almost done?" Evie yelled over the sound of the wind, looking up at Carlos on the ladder she was holding steady.

"One more minute!" Carlos shouted down, leaning dangerously far out to tighten a screw.

"Hurry!" Evie shivered, flinching at the first bright flash that surrounded them, a roll of thunder coming immediately after. The storm was right on top of them, and they needed to get moving.

"Done!" Carlos shimmied down the ladder.

"Let's go!" Evie let the ladder fall over as she grabbed Carlos' hand and tugged him away from the metal structure.

They safely made their way back down into the loft, Evie giving a sigh of relief as she shut the window behind her.

She looked down at her ruined clothes and groaned, tugging them off. They were soaked through, the dye even beginning to bleed in a few places. She left them in a pile in the kitchen sink and grabbed a towel to dry her hair as she made her way back to the bedroom.

"Carlos, get changed or you'll get sick," she called as she passed through the living room.

"Aye aye, mother," Carlos said sarcastically, sitting in a puddle of water that was dripping off him as he frantically typed away on his rebuilt laptop. She sighed and shook her head. Geniuses. You could only do so much about them when they got into a certain headspace.

"Everything's all set up," Evie said, entering the bedroom and going to the closet.

"Thank the gods. We'll be out of here soon." Mal swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. "Eves, Ben and I have been talking..."

"About what?" Evie asked, pulling down two dresses and comparing them in the mirror.

"Everything is going to be different when we get back to Auradon."

"Yes, and?" Evie put the darker blue one away. She felt like wearing light blue today.

"We're bringing more Isle kids over, right?" Mal said as Evie slipped into her dress. "I think it's time we start introducing Auradon to what the Isle is really like. They need to know." 

"The Isle is pretty different from Auradon," Evie hummed, sitting down on the bed beside Mal to put on shoes. "Doug is always asking me questions, sometimes about things I don't even realize I'm doing differently until he points it out. Like physical contact."

"You too?" Mal sighed. "Ben once asked why I'm always touching him and I just kinda stood there, cause I had no idea I'd been doing it so much."

"I think it's adorable," Ben said, causing Evie to jump a little as she looked over at the doorway where he'd just appeared. "I love holding your hand."

"I know," Mal smiled, "But it was just so weird getting to Auradon and seeing pretty much zero affection. I think I kinda latched onto you."

"I mean, you did go from having four people to one person," Evie said, flipping her hair over and tying it up. "I had the same problem with Doug."

"Wait," Ben frowned as he moved into the room to sit with them on the bed, "Mal were you four like, together together when you got to Auradon? Did I break you guys up?"

"Oh gods no," Mal laughed. "No, it was nothing like that. I mean, me and Evie were pretty close but no, it wasn't dating or anything."

"Pretty close?" Ben cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yea, I mean like," Mal shrugged, looking at Evie. Evie shrugged back and Mal stuck her tongue out. "It's just that, you know, Evie's cute and I had needs. So we were probably closer than most."

"And kissing isn't even romantic or anything on the Isle," Evie added. "So that was completely normal."

"Well, closed mouth kisses are normal. We were doing more than closed mouth kissing."

Evie's face flushed a little at the memories. 

"True," she nodded, "But anyways, that's all in the past now."

"You're okay with that, right?" Mal asked looking over at Ben, who was looking somewhere between interested and horrified. "I know the whole two girls thing is weird in Auradon."

"Yea, no, it's fine," Ben croaked, running a hand through his hair. "I just feel bad now because I got in the way of you two doing your Isle thing."

"No, no," Evie sat forward, placing a hand on his knee. "Ben don't feel bad. It's just cultural differences. Mal is 100% with you now and that's fine."

Evie wasn't going to lie, she did miss being able to kiss Mal whenever she wanted, but Auradon had different expectations of them. It was fine.

"I mean," Ben coughed, looking away, his face bright red, "If you guys wanted to continue whatever you had, that would be fine with me."

Evie stared at him in shock. 

"Gods, I love you," Mal said, pulling Ben into a hug. Evie got squished between them and she wriggled awkwardly, trying to break free.

"Guys-"

"Evie, hush, you deserve a hug too."

Evie nodded and gave up, resting her head on Mal's shoulder. 

"So is that a yes?" Ben asked, his voice slightly muffled in the fabric of their clothes.

"I have to talk with Doug first," Evie said firmly as Mal let them go. "He'll probably be fine with it, but I want his permission first."

"Well," Ben grinned, the blush starting to fade from his face, "I guess that means we have more incentive to get home."

"You're seriously fine with this?" Evie asked, slightly in awe. She'd never expected this from Ben. It was more than a little shocking.

"Yup," Ben nodded. Evie hugged him again. He returned it, wrapping one arm around her and pulling Mal back in with the other. 

She would talk to Doug the second they got back. He already knew that affection on the Isle was different, and she was sure he'd be fine with her and Mal being together again. In fact, hadn't he mentioned last month that Ben was extremely hot? Maybe she could try to get them together too. There would have to be a lot of talking with everyone, but she was sure they could make it work. 

"Yo," Jay knocked on the doorframe, drawing her out of the cuddle pile they'd fallen into. "We're almost ready in the living room if you're done canoodling yet."

"Shut up," Mal groaned, sitting up and glaring at him. "We'll be out in a minute."

"Cool," Jay shot finger guns at them and left. 

"Let's go," Mal said, holding her hands out for Ben and Evie to take. Evie smiled and laced their fingers together. 

\---

"Are we sure this will work?"

The six of them sat in the main living area of the loft. Carlos had changed, finally, and had his laptop propped up on an old refrigerator that served as a coffee table. It was very different from the laptops she'd grown used to in Auradon, this one built in a week with whatever electronic scraps had been lying around. Wires were sticking out from it everywhere, half the keys were missing, and the screen was cracked like a spiderweb, but Carlos said it worked and she trusted him.

"Jay, if you could shut up right now, that would be great," Carlos said, furiously typing away. His fingers were almost a blur as he entered the coding he'd been working on for days.

It was truly a sign of how much Auradon had changed them when Jay did what Carlos said without protest and fell silent.

Evie tapped her fingers on her leg as they waited for Carlos to finish. Anticipation hung in the air.

"And...done!" Carlos yelled, shoving the laptop away from himself and standing up. He grabbed the cord that lead out through the window and up to the roof, attaching it to the computer. "Knock on wood but I think it'll work."

Now, Evie was not as superstitious as some people. Black cats, walking under ladders, she all thought it was a little bit ridiculous. You couldn't jinx yourself through your own actions.

However, in that moment, sitting criss-cross on the hard floor, she thought there might be something to it.

Because the literal second the words left Carlos' mouth, there was a sudden rise in shouting from the street below. The screaming in horror kind. The bloodcurdling kind. The kind that made Evie worry.

She rushed over to the window, and her breath caught in her throat.

Walking towards the loft was her mother. She looked more regal and terrifying than Evie had ever known her to be, her velvet black cape flowing out behind her, sweeping a in a wide arc as she turned the corner. If this was the person Snow White had faced, no wonder she'd run away at first.

"Shit," Evie whispered, watching people scramble to get out of the Evil Queen's way. "Shit!"

"Evie?" Jay was instantly at her side, a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, _fuck._ "

"What's going on?" Everyone else scrambled over, a few more muttered curses and gasps coming from the group. The Evil Queen was drawing nearer, and Evie turned away from the window.

Her heart pounded and she felt strangely dizzy, as if her legs weren't really there.

Everything had been so great a moment ago. How had it changed so fast?

"Carlos," Evie took a shaky breath. She couldn't do this. She had to do this. "We have to make the call, _now!_ "

"On it," Carlos said, darting across the living room to boot up the computer.

"Eves, I've got this," Mal said, laying a hand on her other shoulder. "Jay, you need to go keep an eye on the tower. Make sure nothing goes wrong, but don't get too close. Ben, Lonnie, start assembling anything we have to fight with. We don't have much time."

Evie slid down the wall, hugging her stomach. She felt like she was going to be sick. She'd made it the entire three weeks without a single peep from her mother. She thought she was in the clear. And oh gods, how she was wrong.

"Eves," Mal said, kneeling next to her. "Eves. Evie. E. Look at me."

Evie felt frozen. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she—

She felt warm lips on hers. It had been so long, _months_ , without the familiar feeling of Mal's kiss, and somehow the action shocked her brain back into functioning. 

Evie lifted her head, every tiny movement feeling jerky. She felt robotic. Her body wasn't quite right, her brain and soul feeling floaty and weird.

"Mal, she's here," Evie whispered through a dry throat, a slight cough following the words as her body reflexively swallowed.

"I know." Mal stroked her hair. "E, you're strong, you can do this."

"No, no," Evie shook her head. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. I believe in you."

Evie took a shallow breath. She could do this. She could-

"Oh gods, I'm going to be sick."

"No, you're not," Mal said firmly. "Come on, get up. You've got this."

"I've got this," Evie repeated, and somehow the words brought a little comfort to her. She did have this. She could do this. 

"Yes, that's it. Come on." Mal grabbed her hands, gently pulling her up.

"We've got a Wi-Fi connection!" Carlos shouted, frantically typing away.

They had contact with Auradon. Evie felt her head spin. They were going to get out of here. Except, her mother was outside, and oh gods, was that the sound of footsteps on the stairs?

Mal's hand tightened around hers. Ben and Lonnie had amassed a collection of swords, various kitchen knifes, a few daggers they kept around, and what looked like one of Carlos' old failed grenade projects.

Evie picked her dagger out of the pile, feeling the comforting weight in her hand. It grounded her, kept her steady while Mal dressed herself to the nines in dangerous objects.

Time seemed to slow down as the window shattered inward, glass flying everywhere. The Evil Queen stepped inside and stood tall, thin eyebrows raised high and deep red lips curled up in a smirk.

"Genevieve, my sweet, haven't you missed your dear mother?"

Cold trickles of fear ran down Evie's spine, heightening her senses and sending jolts of shocking adrenaline through her veins, but she stood her ground, her grip tightening. She could hear Carlos typing at the speed of light behind her, smell the sharp scent of the rain outside, feel Mal's presence at her side, taste the fear on the back of her tongue, see Jay quietly dropping onto the platform beyond her mother.

And with every beat of her frantic heart, she felt _alive._


	16. Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy _fuck_ I cannot keep a schedule. So sorry this is a day late! I hope you all like it!

adrenaline rush

/əˈdren(ə)lən/

_Noun_

a physical feeling of intense excitement and stimulation caused by the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands.

"when having an adrenaline rush, one may accomplish incredible feats"

\---

Evie felt _alive._

Mal stepped forward, but Evie subtly shook her head, hoping Ben and Lonnie had seen the movement too. This was up to her, and her alone.

She ran at her mother, in position to drive that shiny, bejeweled dagger straight through the Evil Queen's heart. An almost poetic revenge, if you took into consideration the story of Snow White and how the Evil Queen had asked for her heart in a box.

She didn't move quick enough. 

The Evil Queen flung an arm up and Evie's dagger clanged on hard metal. The torn fabric fell back, revealing a long, rusty silver arm cuff that protected her. Evie was willing to bet that it wasn't the only metal the Evil Queen was wearing. The real question was how she'd come up with the idea of wearing it for protection. Evie knew her mother well, and she knew this couldn't have been an original idea.

The thought was dismissed as the Evil Queen took a swipe at her head. Evie ducked, all her instincts screaming over each other.

She was fighting her own _mother._

Or was she? She'd certainly never acted like a mother should.

"Genevieve," The Evil Queen said, her tone disapproving, "You should have visited me. I was lonely in that drafty old castle."

"It's Evie," Evie gave a tight-lipped smile, her muscles trembling with the effort. "Not Genevieve."

No, the woman in front of her wasn't her mother. Maybe she'd given birth to her, but Evie certainly didn't consider her to be a mother.

"Still can't hold your tongue, tsk." The Evil Queen shook her head. "You never could learn that girls should be seen, not heard."

"Why are you here?" Evie asked. Behind the Evil Queen, on the platform outside, Jay was carefully picking up a wooden beam. She kept her gaze fixed on the queen's face, refusing to give away his plan.

"Princess, I wanted to see you," The Evil Queen pouted, fluttering long lashes at Evie. "Can't a mother want to see her daughter after she's been gone for so long? And oh, what have they been doing to you over there? You've put on weight darling."

"I know." Evie lifted her chin, her grip on her dagger tightening. It was useless, her best option was a head shot and the Evil Queen would see it coming from her. "I don't care."

"Sweetie, I know you've been dining with all those fancy rich royals in Auradon and I can't blame you for forgetting the golden rule, but really, couldn't you have done a bit better?"

The Golden Rule. Take only half of what everyone else has. Gods, Evie had hated that rule.

"I don't want to see you ever again," Evie said, noting Jay creeping closer in the background, silhouetted against the lightning nearby. The Evil Queen gave a shocked gasp.

"Genevieve! I can't believe you'd speak to your own mother that way! Darling, have you forgotten all your etiquette rules already?"

"Nope," Evie said, stepping closer. Jay was lifting the beam now and her legs shook. She kept her gaze fixed on the Evil Queen, anxiety filling her at the thought of what would happen if she glanced just a few inches to the left. Somehow, it was harder to purposefully not look at something. "And for the last time, it's Evie, not Genevieve."

Jay swung the beam. The Evil Queen heard the swishing sound and turned, meeting the full force of a wooden beam head on. It worked; she collapsed on the floor, completely unconscious. 

Evie gave a shocked sort of laugh, or maybe it was a high pitched scream. Either way, she felt relief rushing through her veins, almost as strong as the adrenaline.

Her knees were weak and she was pretty sure she was about to faint, but at least she was out of immediate danger.

\----

Carlos could hear the sounds of voices in the background, but tuned them out. He needed to concentrate. Originally planned on trying to open the barrier for long enough to make a phone call, but Carlos' math put them at maybe four minutes in a best case scenario. It wasn't long enough. Instead, he had typed everything out in a file and was going to break a hole in the barrier just long enough to send it to Jane over the one social media app he knew she checked daily. Fingers crossed that everything would go smoothly.

His fingers flew over the keys, setting up the program that would open the barrier. That had been the key component in his last invention. That one had been built to detect the radio frequency waves that would hook him up to the television networks in Auradon. This one was connected to an antenna on the roof that would detect the correct frequency for Wi-Fi. It had only taken him a week to modify it. 

Now, they just had to wait for a lightning bolt to strike the conductor a few buildings over. They needed more electricity than was available in Auradon, but Carlos didn't want to fry the equipment. They'd been very lucky to get a thunderstorm this early in the year and it could be weeks, even months before this happened again. The storm was on top of them and it would be any second now..

Carlos hummed a little as he continued to work. It helped block out the sounds in the loft.

The program was running. He opened the Internet browser the previous owner of the laptop had left, the little error 404 face frowning sadly at him.

And then the moment came.

The apartment lit up in a flash of lightning, a surge of electricity causing the screen to flicker. Carlos' heart nearly stopped, and he suddenly found himself praying every deity he'd ever heard of that the system wouldn't blue screen.

And then, that beautiful dot symbol capped with four ever growing lines popped up. 

"We've got a Wi-Fi connection!" He shouted.

Carlos nearly cried with relief. He refreshed the page and the home screen of Tweets-er loaded. Carlos entered his login information at the speed of light and was clicking to the messages section before the page had even finished loading.

It only took a second to catch up with him, but that second felt like years. There was the vague sound of glass shattering behind him but he didn't turn around, even when he heard the silky voice of the Evil Queen. They were on a time limit.

Jane's profile photo was a welcome sight and he read her missed messages to him while the file loaded and sent.

_hey cotillions in 3 hours where are you?  
Tuesday, 4:32 PM_

_have you seen ben or mal? theyre not here yet  
Tuesday, 7:15 PM_

_carlos, mom found bens note. mal went back to the isle?? whats going on??  
Tuesday, 11:56 PM_

_stay safe, goodnight  
Tuesday, 12:07 AM_

_mom cant open the barrier and we dont know why. will keep you updated  
Wednesday, 6:29 AM_

Carlos skimmed over the next few messages, most of them about everything they were doing in Auradon to open the barrier.

There were two rather long ones that caught his eye. Thank the gods he was a quick reader. The Wi-Fi would be cutting out again any minute now. She had sent these during the truce night bonfire.

_Carlos. We're doing everything we can to get you and everyone else back, but I don't know what's going to happen. I'm trying to not lose hope but as time goes on, it gets harder and harder. So, in case I never see you again, I have to say this. I like you. I like you a lot. When you all arrived here in Auradon, I was terrified but the more we talked, the more I realized you guys were just kids, like me. Do you remember the day I got you a phone and we spent hours looking for the perfect home screen? I think that was the first time I looked at you and didn't feel fear, only friendship. I know you were trying to ask me to Cotillion the day you left. Thinking back, it was pretty obvious. So anyways, I know you're not getting these and there's a chance you never will, but I had to say it. I like you.  
Sunday, 7:48 PM_

_mom saw you!! shes at the library right now but she texted me a few minutes ago and said that she saw you and lonnie and everyone at some party thing on the beach!! she says you looked okay, i cant believe this!! she also said ben was drinking and gambling with pirates?? what is that all about?? you do know its illegal for minors to drink and gamble, right? whatever, im too happy knowing youre okay to care much. stay safe, be responsible, and try not to do anything too dangerous. <3  
Sunday, 10:59 PM _

Carlos' heartbeat picked up as he read the messages and a faint blush settled in his cheeks. Jane liked him back. Jane actually liked him back. His first crush ever liked him back. This was amazing.

"Carlos!"

Jay appeared at his side. Carlos quickly scrolled back down to the latest message, which said something about doing research.

"You got it working!" Jay offered him a high five.

"You guys took care of the Evil Queen?"

"Yup. Hey, Jane's typing."

Carlos' head whipped around fast enough to cause a cracking noise in his joints.

_notplainjane is typing..._

Carlos held his breath.

_just sent that to mom, go to the barrier where you first came through, we'll be there in an hour. pray this works.  
4:45 PM_

_stay safe  
4:45 PM_

"Shit, we better get moving," Jay said, reading over his shoulder. "Everyone, pack up! We're going home!"

\---

Jay knew this was it. This was the big moment. They were going back to Auradon. He was glad, of course, he couldn't be more relieved to be finally getting off this horrible island again. Especially now that he knew Harry was coming with him to Auradon. 

The loft was a mess, people running every which way to collect their belongings. It was surprising how scattered things could get in just two weeks. Jay saw Lonnie tying the still unconscious Evil Queen tightly to a chair in the closet, Carlos trying to fit as many of his old electronics as he could into a duffel bag, Ben halfway under the bed looking for his jacket, and much more as he ran through the place.

"Mal!" He shouted, trying to locate her.

"Bathroom!"

"Mal!" He said, flinging himself down the hallway and catching on the doorframe. The leader was sweeping little piles of jewelry off the counter into a cloth pouch.

"Evie would never forgive me if we let these go a second time," Mal said, glancing at him through the mirror.

"Mal, we have to tell Uma we're going," Jay said, ignoring her statement, "I'll go tell them, but someone has to grab all my shit for me."

"I already sent up a raven to her," Mal said, cinching the bag and turning towards him. "It's old fashioned, but it'll do."

"You did?" Jay's brain stuttered for a second. "Mal, you're the best, I love you."

"I know you do." Mal grinned. "Now go pack your shit, we're leaving."

"Yes, your royalness," Jay said, smirking as he left. Mal's annoyed shriek followed him all the way to the bedroom, where he threw his things in a bag.

This was really it. They were really leaving. He was going back to Auradon, he was going to have Harry there with him, this was all really happening.

The streets outside weren't any less chaotic. Turns out, people were still afraid of the Evil Queen. She'd left quite the impact while out on her little walk.

The 6 of them pushed through the crowds, making their way towards the street that lead to a cutoff bridge where the barrier began.

Looking around, Jay was astonished. The last time the streets were this crazy was when Maleficent declared herself the Supreme Ruler of the Isle.

"Jay!"

Jay caught sight of Harry a ways away, and waved towards him. Harry shoved people out of his path, making his way through the street to Jay.

"Jay, ya bloody fuckin' idiot!" Harry snarled as he neared them. Jay raised an eyebrow. "Tha' little thing ya just did? With tha' lights and tha' barrier? Everyone saw it! Fuckhead, ya never think!"

"First off," Jay said, holding up a finger. The other 5 stood back, watching the scene play out. "It was Carlos who did that, not me. Second, we made contact with Auradon. They're on their way right now. We're meeting at the barrier bridge. Where's Uma?"

"Back at tha' ship!" The anger bleed out of Harry. "We're really leaving right now?"

"Yup," Jay grinned. "Already sent a message to Uma."

"Okay," Harry nodded. "Good thing I already packed. Barrier bridge in 10 minutes, see ya there."

"Wait!" Jay caught Harry's wrist as the pirate turned to leave. "Love you."

So maybe it was the first time he'd spoken those words since that argument that already seemed so long ago. Whatever. All that mattered was the way Harry's face lit up and how the pirate pulled him into a deep kiss, whispering an 'I love you too' as Jay held him close.

And then the moment was over, Harry taking off in the distance to find his family, leaving Jay with tingling lips and a promise of return.

They continued on, pressing forward, weaving through the panic-struck streets. The crowds of people began to thin out, becoming sparser and sparser as they drew closer to the barrier. The cut-off bridge was visible now, and just beyond, Jay could see two people flying over the ocean through the swirling magic, getting closer and closer with every second.

Fairy Godmother and Jane were here.

\---

Lonnie didn't know what to think. Everything was happening so fast. They were leaving the Isle, her best friend was waiting just a few feet away on the other side of the barrier, and she was finally going home after three long weeks.

A part of her would miss the Isle. It felt ridiculous to think about. An Auradon kid missing being on the Isle? Pfft. Clearly, she was clinically insane.

There was something about this place though. She was going to miss the oppressive warmth of all 6 of them crowding on the bed to sleep, knowing that as long as they could feel they others, they were safe. She would miss the noisy streets of the night, the sounds of drunken sailors singing and market stalls yelling their prices out into the pitch black unknown. And yes, she would even miss Dragon Hall a bit, with its unusual school day hours and an overabundance of spiders. (Okay, maybe she wouldn't miss the spiders.)

Lonnie looked over at the barrier. Ben was standing as close as he could, signing to Jane on the other side. Auradon's requirement for children 5 and up to learn ASL (Auradon Sign Language) could really come in handy sometimes. She couldn't see much of Ben's side of the conversation, but she got the general gist that they were making a plan to open the barrier just long enough to let the 6 of them, Dizzie, and the pirates through. Lonnie didn't know Dizzie that well, but she seemed nice. Evie was sitting with the girl on a nearby stack of crates, going over the school rules at Auradon Prep. The young girl looked positively thrilled at the idea of going to Auradon Prep.

"Hey," Desiree nudged her. The pirates had arrived a moment ago and Desiree had immediately moved to sit next to Lonnie while they waited.

"What?" Lonnie asked, glancing at her.

"What's Auradon like?"

Lonnie had to think on that for a second. Auradon was... well it was Auradon, wasn't it? It was full of princes and princesses and fairytale characters. The forests were lush and welcoming, animals and people coexisting in peace. It was a perfect utopia.

Except... there are two sides to every coin.

Auradon wasn't perfect. They'd abandoned the Isle, left it with scraps and trash. They refused to believe anything but good could prevail. Auradon was stuck up, thinly veiled insults covered by a smile and laugh, impossible to do wrong. 

"It's beautiful," Lonnie said. Perhaps it wasn't the word other people would have used. To her though, Auradon was beautiful precisely because it wasn't perfect. Everything is, by design, flawed and Auradon reflected that perfectly. It was like an uncut gem. It had the potential to be flawless but wasn't.

"Guys!" Ben called for them, bringing Lonnie out of her thoughts. She stood up, startling a small lizard that had been basking on the cobblestones by her feet. Desiree followed her as she made her way over to Ben.

"What's the plan?" Mal asked once everyone had gathered.

"Everyone line up as close as you can to the barrier." Ben's voice was strong and firm, truly the makings of a great king someday. "Shoulder to shoulder. Jane and Fairy Godmother are going to work together to open the barrier just enough for us all slip through at once. Jane's working on conjuring a stretch carriage that'll take us to Auradon. These past few weeks have been crazy but I'm honored to have been here. I don't regret a moment I spent here on the Isle."

"Not even the hangover after truce night that Jay said you were complaining about?" Gil asked, prompting a few laughs to come from their large group. Ben chuckled and shook his head.

"Not even that. I truly don't regret a thing. And I know it's short notice for many of you, but thank you for accepting my invitation to go to Auradon. I hope that in the coming weeks, months, and even years, you all will help me get every innocent child, teen, and adult that doesn't deserve to be here off this island."

"Hear, hear!" Uma shouted, raising a fist. Everyone cheered, effectively ending Ben's speech.

"Alright people!" Ben said, glancing over his shoulder at the barrier, where Jane and Fairy Godmother were waiting, a newly formed, extra large stretch carriage. "Line up!"

Lonnie took a deep breath. She was going home.

The barrier was just a few inches away, the swirling green magic causing just the faintest ripple effect in front of her nose. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see everyone lining up, packing tightly together. Desiree stepped up next to her and she glanced at the other girl before carefully reaching a hand out and twining their fingers together. The pirate looked over and smiled, squeezing Lonnie's hand once.

Lonnie looked forward again, a small smile on her face.

The barrier shimmered and suddenly the green in front of her vanished. She could see the blue of the ocean again. This was it.

Lonnie stepped through.

She was _home._

\---

Ben held his breath. To his left was Mal, to his right was Evie. If this didn't work...

No. He wouldn't think about those possibilities.

After a quick glance down the line at the barrier to make sure everyone was there, Ben nodded at Jane.

A look of extreme concentration came over her face, the wand hovering just over her cupped hands. Fairy Godmother stood tall behind her, a hand on her shoulder, and the faintest trail of pure magic twisted and turned in the air around them.

The shimmering screen that marked the barrier vanished.

Ben closed his eyes and prayed, taking a step forward.

He was met with no resistance.

"Lonnie! Carlos!"

Jane's excited shriek came from just a few feet away and Ben's eyes snapped open. They were through. _They were through._ He spun around, looking back at the Isle. The barrier had already fallen shut behind them. It was strange, to be seeing it from the outside again. Quite astonishing what three weeks could do to your perception of things.

"We did it," Mal looked at him with shocked, wide eyes. "We did it!"

"We did it." Ben grinned, pulling her into a hug. "We're back in Auradon."

All around were the sounds of celebration. He could hear the shocked gasps of the pirates as they saw the blue sky and sun for the first time ever, the excited shouts as they stepped away from the barrier, Dizzie's ear-piercing shriek at the sight of Auradon Prep in the distance. It felt amazing to be home.

"Children!" Fairy Godmother called over the noise. "Children! Please! Quiet!"

"She's not getting anywhere with that," Mal commented as they pulled apart. Ben shook his head. "You want to do the honors or shall I?"

"I think I've got it," Ben said, giving a half-smirk as her. He stepped away and whistled as loud as he could. That got people's attention. "Everyone! Fairy Godmother has something to say!"

"Thank you, Ben," Fairy Godmother said, smoothing the front of her dress. "As I was saying, if you could all quiet down and get in the stretch carriage, that would be much appreciated. Thank you."

"Hey!" Uma stepped up and glared the faerie down. "I don't take orders from people."

"Uma," Harry said in a warning tone, resting a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes jumped towards him and they had a split second silent conversation before she looked away.

"Crew, you heard the lady. Everyone in the carriage, now!" Uma spun around. Ben felt a little sorry for Fairy Godmother, noting the way she winced at Uma's shout.

"Ben, a word please?" The headmistress asked a moment later as everyone fought over who got to sit where.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Come," she gestured for him to follow her and he did, climbing into the passenger's seat in the front. The soundproof partition was already up and all sound was cut off as he closed the door. "The media has been going crazy over this. You're the king and you went missing on the Isle for three weeks. It's stirred up quite a bit of controversy."

"Great," Ben said, leaning his head back against the headrest. "Of course it has."

"I was just wondering," Fairy Godmother said hesitantly, "If, considering that, it's really such a good idea to be bringing over more Isle kids?"

"I don't care." Ben's voice was tighter than he meant for it to be. How could she suggest so causally that they shouldn't bring more kids over? He'd seen the Isle himself, he knew how needed this was. "I don't care how much controversy I end up with, or how many people think I'm a bad king. I saw what it's like to live there, firsthand. Those kids are innocent and they deserve a second chance."

"Okay," Fairy Godmother sighed reluctantly as she started the car. "Just know that it's not the easiest path to walk."

"When is life ever easy?" Ben asked, closing his eyes. Now that they were off the Isle, all he could think about was sleeping in his giant, comfortable bed after a shower with hot water and real soap.

Of course it wouldn't be easy. But Ben was willing to fight Auradon every step of the way if he had to. It was time to give those kids their freedom.

\---

Jane felt crowded in the stretch carriage. It had been made large enough to fit everyone, almost the size of a bus, but she still felt like there wasn't enough room. Maybe it was simply that she didn't know the pirates yet. They were definitely a rowdy bunch, fighting over who got to sit where and arguing over the exact function of a seatbelt. 

It was also, most likely, the fact that she hadn't seen her best friend in three weeks. Lonnie had definitely changed on the Isle, and Jane wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She'd noticed immediately that Lonnie was holding hands with one of the pirate girls, and she was happy for her. And also worried. Jane knew that Ben wouldn't have released the pirates if he didn't trust them to be good, but they had grown up on the Isle. She saw how that affected Carlos, and she couldn't help the concern that welled up. 

It was shocking how much people could change in three weeks. Lonnie wasn't the only one who had come back different. Mal was twitchier, Evie was quiet, Ben looked more exhausted than ever, and Jay seemed on edge. And Carlos. Carlos looked, well he looked like shit. He looked like he had that time he tried to stay up for a week studying and living only on caffeine and sugar. 

The drive back to Auradon Prep was an interesting one. The pirates calmed down, thanks to the teal haired girl, but they were still rather boisterous. It almost hurt Jane's ears how loud they were. 

"I got your messages," Carlos said, leaning over to speak with her. "When I sent the document earlier."

"Oh?" Jane chuckled nervously. "Did you read them?"

"Yup," Carlos gave her a small smile. "You were right. I was trying to ask you to Cotillion before this all happened."

"Oh thank the lady of the lake," Jane sighed with relief and smiled back. "I was worried I might have been reading too much into it."

"Not at all," Carlos said. "So, would you have said yes?"

"Yes!" Jane grabbed his hands and squeezed them. "Of course I would have!"

"Awesome," Carlos breathed, and for a second it felt normal again. Just her and Carlos in their own personal bubble. And then the illusion broke as Carlos abruptly sneezed 4 times in a row. 

"Are you okay?" Jane asked, her hands fluttering a little around him as he tried to catch his breath. She wanted to help but didn't know how. What do you do when someone randomly sneezes?

"Carlos!" Evie called, "I told you so!"

"I'm not sick!" Carlos shouted back, and promptly sneezed again. 

"You're sick?" Jane leaned forward and placed a hand on his forehead. He felt a little warm, but not too bad. 

"I am not," Carlos said with a pointed glare at Evie. "It's allergies."

"To what?" Mal asked, giving him an 'I call BS' look. 

"Shut up," Carlos said. "I'm not sick."

Famous last words. By the time they reached the school, Carlos was complaining of a sore throat and his temperature had definitely risen. 

"I'm not sick," He mumbled as they exited the car, but pulled the blanket Jane had created tighter around his shoulders. 

"Is he always like this when he's sick?" Jane asked Mal. 

"Pretty much," Mal said with a sympathetic smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go deal with the PR mess we've created."

They both looked over at Ben, who'd disappeared behind a sea of microphones the second he'd left the car, reporters screaming question after question. 

"Good luck," Jane said. Her mother was already starting to push the journalists back, strategically maneuvering them away from Ben and the pirates. Jane located Carlos and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the dorms. 

"I'm not sick," Carlos groaned. His protests fell on silent ears. 

Jane assigned him bedrest until tomorrow morning, conjuring a few extra pillows for him to lean against. Magic came a lot easier these days, ever since she'd touched her mother's wand at the coronation. 

"Hey Jane?" Carlos mumbled as she turned off the light and went to leave. 

"Yes?" She asked, pausing in the doorway. 

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," Jane replied, smiling as her heart raced. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, my faerie queen," Carlos sighed, his breathing already beginning to deepen. Jane's face warmed and she stepped out, closing the door with a quiet click, smiling like a lunatic. 

Some things had changed. That was undebatable. But maybe not all of them had been bad changes. Maybe she needed to look at this as something good. 

Jane skipped down the hallway, rejoining her friends as everyone made their way to the cafeteria for dinner. She sat down next to the teal haired girl and held her hand out. 

"Hi, I'm Fairy Jane. Welcome to Auradon."

\---

Mal was exhausted. It had been a long week of dealing with the mess they'd created by going missing on the Isle of the Lost for three weeks and returning with 8 pirates and an overenthusiastic hairdresser. 

Ben had been swamped in paperwork and meetings with the High Council but now it was almost one in the morning and she was on her way to drag him out of his office and force him to get some rest. One of them had to be responsible about sleep schedules.

"Sleep time," She said, flinging open the door without knocking. Ben slowly lifted his head from the desk and blinked tiredly at her. 

"M'napping here," he said, yawning widely. 

"Nope." Mal swept over to him and pulled him up out of his chair. "You're coming to the bedroom for once, and me and Evie and Doug are going to trap you in the middle so you can't get up at 5 and sneak back to work."

"Fine," Ben whined, letting her lead him out of the office and down the halls to Mal and Evie's dorm. 

Doug and Evie were already sleeping when they arrived and Mal sent Ben to brush his teeth while she changed into pajamas. Ben reemerged a minute later, stumbling over to the bed and collapsing next to Evie and Doug. The first day they'd been back, the four of them had set aside the time to have a long conversation. It had been decided that they'd all four try giving a relationship a shot. Since then, they'd taken over Evie and Mal's dorm room, pushing the twin beds together to make one giant mattress. It was warm when she climbed into bed and she curled in close to her partners, falling asleep within minutes. 

_A swirling storm, thunderheads above a beautiful meadow._

_Shouts and screams, and flashes of green and purple magic zig-zagging across the sky._

_A lone girl crouched on the ground, sobbing as energy pulsed out of her hands into the ground, splitting the earth in vast trenches._

_Her mother's cackle, loud and clear in her ears as a dark shape swooped over a battlefield._

She sat up with a gasp, sweat dripping down her neck and her heart pounding. The clock read 2:15, red numbers glowing in the dark on the dresser.

"Mal?" Evie's sleepy voice was muffled against the pillows on Ben's other side. "S' somethin' wrong?"

"Nothing," Mal said, taking a deep breath. "Just a dream. I'm fine, you can go back sleep."

"M'kay," Evie replied, snuggling deeper into the covers. 

Mal laid back down a minute later, closing her eyes as she tried to go back to sleep. 

The images played on her eyelids, vivid as a memory. Flashes of a storm, a pink haired girl, magic, laughter looping over and over again in her mind's eye.

Mal's eyes snapped open. 

2:18 AM.

She took another deep breath. It was okay. She was okay. It was just a nightmare. 

Mal rolled over and stared at the wall, the oak paneling on the wall barely visible, waiting for her brain to exhaust itself to the point of sleep.

Just a nightmare. Everything was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end. I hope y'all liked it! This chapter took me quite a bit and I'm still not fully happy with how it turned out, but it's the best it's going to be. 
> 
> There is a sequel planned. I'm already working on it. Unfortunately, lately I've been in a bit of a depressed, unmotivated mood (reference the fact that it took me forever to post chapters that were already written lol) so I have no idea when it will be out. The only thing I'm consistently working on right now is schoolwork and a Star Trek fanfic. Hopefully it will be out before next summer. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading this!! <3


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